Is Vistar Holdings (HKG:8535) A Risky Investment?

Warren Buffett famously said, '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 can see that Vistar Holdings Limited (HKG:8535) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. 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 step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

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What Is Vistar Holdings's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of September 2022, Vistar Holdings had HK$30.7m of debt, up from HK$9.57m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. But on the other hand it also has HK$55.0m in cash, leading to a HK$24.2m net cash position.

How Strong Is Vistar Holdings' Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, Vistar Holdings had liabilities of HK$121.9m due within 12 months, and liabilities of HK$2.36m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of HK$55.0m and HK$205.5m worth of receivables due within a year. So it actually has HK$136.2m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This surplus liquidity suggests that Vistar Holdings' balance sheet could take a hit just as well as Homer Simpson's head can take a punch. With this in mind one could posit that its balance sheet means the company is able to handle some adversity. Simply put, the fact that Vistar Holdings has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

It is just as well that Vistar Holdings's load is not too heavy, because its EBIT was down 41% over the last year. When it comes to paying off debt, falling earnings are no more useful than sugary sodas are for your health. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Vistar Holdings will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. Vistar Holdings may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, Vistar Holdings reported free cash flow worth 11% of its EBIT, which is really quite low. That limp level of cash conversion undermines its ability to manage and pay down debt.

Summing Up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Vistar Holdings has HK$24.2m in net cash and a strong balance sheet. So we don't have any problem with Vistar Holdings's use of 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Vistar Holdings .

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.