Bluestone Resources (CVE:BSR) Is Carrying A Fair Bit Of 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 Bluestone Resources Inc. (CVE:BSR) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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, 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 examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

See our latest analysis for Bluestone Resources

What Is Bluestone Resources's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at June 2023 Bluestone Resources had debt of US$9.00m, up from US$1.00m in one year. On the flip side, it has US$849.3k in cash leading to net debt of about US$8.15m.

How Healthy Is Bluestone Resources' Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Bluestone Resources had liabilities of US$12.9m due within a year, and liabilities of US$12.7m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had US$849.3k in cash and US$177.0k in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$24.5m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This deficit is considerable relative to its market capitalization of US$33.7m, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Bluestone Resources' use of debt. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Bluestone Resources's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Given its lack of meaningful operating revenue, investors are probably hoping that Bluestone Resources finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.

Caveat Emptor

Over the last twelve months Bluestone Resources produced an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss. Indeed, it lost a very considerable US$12m at the EBIT level. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. Quite frankly we think the balance sheet is far from match-fit, although it could be improved with time. Another cause for caution is that is bled US$12m in negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. So suffice it to say we consider the stock very risky. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Bluestone Resources (2 are concerning) you should be aware of.

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.