Is Swiss Prime Site (VTX:SPSN) A Risky Investment?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' 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. As with many other companies Swiss Prime Site AG (VTX:SPSN) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Swiss Prime Site

What Is Swiss Prime Site's Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Swiss Prime Site had CHF5.23b in debt in June 2021; about the same as the year before. However, it does have CHF131.4m in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about CHF5.10b.

How Healthy Is Swiss Prime Site's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, Swiss Prime Site had liabilities of CHF1.21b due within 12 months, and liabilities of CHF5.57b due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of CHF131.4m and CHF112.2m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by CHF6.54b.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of CHF6.97b. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

While Swiss Prime Site's debt to EBITDA ratio of 12.3 suggests a heavy debt load, its interest coverage of 7.9 implies it services that debt with ease. Overall we'd say it seems likely the company is carrying a fairly heavy swag of debt. Shareholders should be aware that Swiss Prime Site's EBIT was down 30% last year. If that decline continues then paying off debt will be harder than selling foie gras at a vegan convention. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Swiss Prime Site can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Swiss Prime Site recorded free cash flow worth 69% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.

Our View

To be frank both Swiss Prime Site's net debt to EBITDA and its track record of (not) growing its EBIT make us rather uncomfortable with its debt levels. But at least it's pretty decent at converting EBIT to free cash flow; that's encouraging. Overall, we think it's fair to say that Swiss Prime Site has enough debt that there are some real risks around the balance sheet. If all goes well, that should boost returns, but on the flip side, the risk of permanent capital loss is elevated by the debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that Swiss Prime Site is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those can't be ignored...

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.

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.

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