We Think Aurora Spine (CVE:ASG) Has A Fair Chunk Of Debt

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. We can see that Aurora Spine Corporation (CVE:ASG) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

View our latest analysis for Aurora Spine

How Much Debt Does Aurora Spine Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at June 2024 Aurora Spine had debt of US$2.63m, up from US$2.49m in one year. On the flip side, it has US$518.5k in cash leading to net debt of about US$2.11m.

A Look At Aurora Spine's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Aurora Spine had liabilities of US$3.62m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$3.45m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$518.5k in cash and US$4.22m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$2.33m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Of course, Aurora Spine has a market capitalization of US$17.4m, so these liabilities are probably manageable. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Aurora Spine will need earnings to service that debt. So if you're keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend.

Over 12 months, Aurora Spine reported revenue of US$16m, which is a gain of 17%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. That rate of growth is a bit slow for our taste, but it takes all types to make a world.

Caveat Emptor

Over the last twelve months Aurora Spine produced an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss. To be specific the EBIT loss came in at US$772k. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above does not give us much confidence that company should be using so much debt. So we think its balance sheet is a little strained, though not beyond repair. However, it doesn't help that it burned through US$922k of cash over the last year. So suffice it to say we consider the stock very risky. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Aurora Spine you should be aware of, and 2 of them are a bit concerning.

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

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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.