Is IBC Advanced Alloys (CVE:IB) Using Debt Sensibly?

Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. As with many other companies IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. (CVE:IB) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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 common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for IBC Advanced Alloys

What Is IBC Advanced Alloys's Net Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of December 2020, IBC Advanced Alloys had US$7.31m of debt, up from US$6.36m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. On the flip side, it has US$2.60m in cash leading to net debt of about US$4.71m.

A Look At IBC Advanced Alloys' Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that IBC Advanced Alloys had liabilities of US$12.0m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$4.61m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$2.60m as well as receivables valued at US$2.43m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$11.6m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

When you consider that this deficiency exceeds the company's US$10.4m market capitalization, you might well be inclined to review the balance sheet intently. Hypothetically, extremely heavy dilution would be required if the company were forced to pay down its liabilities by raising capital at the current share price. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is IBC Advanced Alloys'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.

In the last year IBC Advanced Alloys managed to produce its first revenue as a listed company, but given the lack of profit, shareholders will no doubt be hoping to see some strong increases.

Caveat Emptor

Importantly, IBC Advanced Alloys had an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss over the last year. To be specific the EBIT loss came in at US$796k. When we look at that alongside the significant liabilities, we're not particularly confident about the company. It would need to improve its operations quickly for us to be interested in it. Not least because it burned through US$295k in negative free cash flow over the last year. That means it's on the risky side of things. 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. Be aware that IBC Advanced Alloys is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those makes us a bit uncomfortable...

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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