Does Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) (HKG:1468) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' 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. As with many other companies Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) Limited (HKG:1468) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt A Problem?

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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Kingkey Financial International (Holdings)

What Is Kingkey Financial International (Holdings)'s Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of September 2021 Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) had HK$290.9m of debt, an increase on HK$206.8m, over one year. However, it does have HK$172.6m in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about HK$118.4m.

How Healthy Is Kingkey Financial International (Holdings)'s Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) had liabilities of HK$381.2m due within a year, and liabilities of HK$129.0m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had HK$172.6m in cash and HK$607.6m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it actually has HK$269.9m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This short term liquidity is a sign that Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) could probably pay off its debt with ease, as its balance sheet is far from stretched.

We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) shareholders face the double whammy of a high net debt to EBITDA ratio (9.3), and fairly weak interest coverage, since EBIT is just 0.36 times the interest expense. This means we'd consider it to have a heavy debt load. One redeeming factor for Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) is that it turned last year's EBIT loss into a gain of HK$3.9m, over the last twelve months. 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 Kingkey Financial International (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. So it's worth checking how much of the earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) is backed by free cash flow. During the last year, Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) burned a lot of cash. 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.

Our View

To be frank both Kingkey Financial International (Holdings)'s interest cover and its track record of converting EBIT to free cash flow make us rather uncomfortable with its debt levels. But at least it's pretty decent at staying on top of its total liabilities; that's encouraging. Looking at the balance sheet and taking into account all these factors, we do believe that debt is making Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) stock a bit risky. Some people like that sort of risk, but we're mindful of the potential pitfalls, so we'd probably prefer it carry less 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. For example Kingkey Financial International (Holdings) has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

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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