Is Petro-king Oilfield Services (HKG:2178) Using Debt In A Risky Way?

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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 note that Petro-king Oilfield Services Limited (HKG:2178) does have debt on its balance sheet. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

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 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, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Petro-king Oilfield Services

What Is Petro-king Oilfield Services's Net Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Petro-king Oilfield Services had HK$327.2m in debt in December 2020; about the same as the year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of HK$29.6m, its net debt is less, at about HK$297.7m.

A Look At Petro-king Oilfield Services' Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Petro-king Oilfield Services had liabilities of HK$558.5m due within 12 months and liabilities of HK$105.7m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of HK$29.6m and HK$417.7m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total HK$217.0m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

When you consider that this deficiency exceeds the company's HK$167.5m market capitalization, you might well be inclined to review the balance sheet intently. Hypothetically, extremely heavy dilution would be required if the company were forced to pay down its liabilities by raising capital at the current share price. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Petro-king Oilfield Services 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.

In the last year Petro-king Oilfield Services had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 18%, to HK$391m. We would much prefer see growth.

Caveat Emptor

Not only did Petro-king Oilfield Services's revenue slip over the last twelve months, but it also produced negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). Its EBIT loss was a whopping HK$32m. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above make us nervous about the company. It would need to improve its operations quickly for us to be interested in it. It's fair to say the loss of HK$73m didn't encourage us either; we'd like to see a profit. In the meantime, we consider the stock to be risky. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that Petro-king Oilfield Services is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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. 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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