Ji'an Mankun Technology (SZSE:301132) Seems To Use Debt Quite Sensibly

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.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Ji'an Mankun Technology Co., Ltd. (SZSE:301132) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Ji'an Mankun Technology

How Much Debt Does Ji'an Mankun Technology Carry?

As you can see below, at the end of June 2024, Ji'an Mankun Technology had CN¥70.0m of debt, up from CN¥55.0m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. But on the other hand it also has CN¥788.2m in cash, leading to a CN¥718.1m net cash position.

How Strong Is Ji'an Mankun Technology's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Ji'an Mankun Technology had liabilities of CN¥603.9m due within a year, and liabilities of CN¥34.2m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had CN¥788.2m in cash and CN¥566.8m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it actually has CN¥716.9m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

It's good to see that Ji'an Mankun Technology has plenty of liquidity on its balance sheet, suggesting conservative management of liabilities. Given it has easily adequate short term liquidity, we don't think it will have any issues with its lenders. Simply put, the fact that Ji'an Mankun Technology has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

The good news is that Ji'an Mankun Technology has increased its EBIT by 6.2% over twelve months, which should ease any concerns about debt repayment. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is Ji'an Mankun Technology's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. 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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While Ji'an Mankun Technology has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Over the last three years, Ji'an Mankun Technology saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. While investors are no doubt expecting a reversal of that situation in due course, it clearly does mean its use of debt is more risky.

Summing Up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Ji'an Mankun Technology has CN¥718.1m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. And it also grew its EBIT by 6.2% over the last year. So we are not troubled with Ji'an Mankun Technology's debt use. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Ji'an Mankun Technology you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.

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.

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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.