Wavestone (EPA:WAVE) Could Easily Take On More Debt

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 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. We can see that Wavestone SA (EPA:WAVE) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for Wavestone

What Is Wavestone's Net Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Wavestone had €47.9m of debt in March 2022, down from €56.1m, one year before. But it also has €108.3m in cash to offset that, meaning it has €60.3m net cash.

A Look At Wavestone's Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Wavestone had liabilities of €169.7m falling due within a year, and liabilities of €67.5m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had €108.3m in cash and €171.1m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it actually has €42.1m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This short term liquidity is a sign that Wavestone could probably pay off its debt with ease, as its balance sheet is far from stretched. Simply put, the fact that Wavestone has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

And we also note warmly that Wavestone grew its EBIT by 18% last year, making its debt load easier to handle. 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 Wavestone'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.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. While Wavestone 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, Wavestone recorded free cash flow worth a fulsome 90% of its EBIT, which is stronger than we'd usually expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Wavestone has €60.3m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. The cherry on top was that in converted 90% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in €56m. So is Wavestone's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. Above most other metrics, we think its important to track how fast earnings per share is growing, if at all. If you've also come to that realization, you're in luck, because today you can view this interactive graph of Wavestone's earnings per share history for free.

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.