Western Energy Services (TSE:WRG) Has Debt But No Earnings; Should You Worry?

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Western Energy Services Corp. (TSE:WRG) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Western Energy Services

What Is Western Energy Services's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at September 2021 Western Energy Services had debt of CA$233.5m, up from CA$221.5m in one year. Net debt is about the same, since the it doesn't have much cash.

A Look At Western Energy Services' Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Western Energy Services had liabilities of CA$34.1m falling due within a year, and liabilities of CA$233.8m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had CA$3.40m in cash and CA$26.9m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CA$237.7m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the CA$28.0m 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. After all, Western Energy Services would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Western Energy Services can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

In the last year Western Energy Services had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 3.2%, to CA$118m. We would much prefer see growth.

Caveat Emptor

Over the last twelve months Western Energy Services produced an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss. Indeed, it lost a very considerable CA$24m at the EBIT level. Reflecting on this and the significant total liabilities, it's hard to know what to say about the stock because of our intense dis-affinity for it. Like every long-shot we're sure it has a glossy presentation outlining its blue-sky potential. But the reality is that it is low on liquid assets relative to liabilities, and it lost CA$38m in the last year. So we're not very excited about owning this stock. Its too risky for us. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Western Energy Services .

At the end of the day, it's often better to focus on companies that are free from net debt. You can access our special list of such companies (all with a track record of profit growth). It's free.

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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.