We Think Jaguar Mining (TSE:JAG) Can Stay On Top Of Its Debt

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. We can see that Jaguar Mining Inc. (TSE:JAG) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt A Problem?

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. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Jaguar Mining

What Is Jaguar Mining's Debt?

As you can see below, Jaguar Mining had US$3.03m of debt, at December 2021, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. But on the other hand it also has US$40.4m in cash, leading to a US$37.3m net cash position.

How Strong Is Jaguar Mining's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Jaguar Mining had liabilities of US$30.8m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$27.7m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$40.4m in cash and US$5.24m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$13.0m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Of course, Jaguar Mining has a market capitalization of US$264.3m, so these liabilities are probably manageable. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Jaguar Mining boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

The modesty of its debt load may become crucial for Jaguar Mining if management cannot prevent a repeat of the 45% cut to EBIT over the last year. Falling earnings (if the trend continues) could eventually make even modest debt quite risky. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Jaguar Mining's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. Jaguar Mining may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. In the last three years, Jaguar Mining's free cash flow amounted to 36% of its EBIT, less than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Summing up

We could understand if investors are concerned about Jaguar Mining's liabilities, but we can be reassured by the fact it has has net cash of US$37.3m. So we are not troubled with Jaguar Mining's debt use. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For example - Jaguar Mining has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

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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.