Cavvy Energy (TSE:CVVY) Has Debt But No Earnings; Should You Worry?

Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. Importantly, Cavvy Energy Ltd. (TSE:CVVY) does carry debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

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Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

How Much Debt Does Cavvy Energy Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Cavvy Energy had debt of CA$154.9m at the end of March 2025, a reduction from CA$173.3m over a year. However, it does have CA$11.4m in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about CA$143.5m.

How Strong Is Cavvy Energy's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Cavvy Energy had liabilities of CA$115.7m due within a year, and liabilities of CA$322.7m falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CA$11.4m as well as receivables valued at CA$44.3m due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by CA$382.7m.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the CA$113.3m company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. At the end of the day, Cavvy Energy would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is Cavvy Energy's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.

View our latest analysis for Cavvy Energy

In the last year Cavvy Energy had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 41%, to CA$188m. That makes us nervous, to say the least.

Caveat Emptor

Not only did Cavvy Energy's revenue slip over the last twelve months, but it also produced negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). Indeed, it lost a very considerable CA$92m at the EBIT level. If you consider the significant liabilities mentioned above, we are extremely wary of this investment. That said, it is possible that the company will turn its fortunes around. But we think that is unlikely, given it is low on liquid assets, and burned through CA$4.6m in the last year. So we think this stock is risky, like walking through a dirty dog park with a mask on. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Cavvy Energy (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.