These 4 Measures Indicate That Learning Technologies Group (LON:LTG) Is Using Debt Safely

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. We note that Learning Technologies Group plc (LON:LTG) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. 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 Learning Technologies Group

What Is Learning Technologies Group's Net Debt?

As you can see below, Learning Technologies Group had UK£14.5m of debt at June 2021, down from UK£20.2m a year prior. However, it does have UK£39.3m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of UK£24.9m.

How Strong Is Learning Technologies Group's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Learning Technologies Group had liabilities of UK£101.5m due within 12 months and liabilities of UK£51.9m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of UK£39.3m and UK£47.3m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling UK£66.8m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given Learning Technologies Group has a market capitalization of UK£1.73b, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Learning Technologies Group boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

Also positive, Learning Technologies Group grew its EBIT by 23% in the last year, and that should make it easier to pay down debt, going forward. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Learning Technologies Group can strengthen its balance sheet over time. 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 Learning Technologies Group 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. Happily for any shareholders, Learning Technologies Group actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last three years. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Learning Technologies Group has UK£24.9m in net cash. And it impressed us with free cash flow of UK£28m, being 150% of its EBIT. So we don't think Learning Technologies Group's use of debt is risky. 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. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Learning Technologies Group that you should be aware of.

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.

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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