Lewinsky-Ofer (TLV:LEOF) Is Carrying A Fair Bit Of Debt

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' 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 can see that Lewinsky-Ofer Ltd. (TLV:LEOF) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

View our latest analysis for Lewinsky-Ofer

What Is Lewinsky-Ofer's Net Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of September 2021 Lewinsky-Ofer had ₪161.9m of debt, an increase on ₪111.3m, over one year. On the flip side, it has ₪99.4m in cash leading to net debt of about ₪62.5m.

How Strong Is Lewinsky-Ofer's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Lewinsky-Ofer had liabilities of ₪73.9m due within a year, and liabilities of ₪132.5m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had ₪99.4m in cash and ₪20.0m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling ₪87.1m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit isn't so bad because Lewinsky-Ofer is worth ₪196.7m, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. However, it is still worthwhile taking a close look at its ability to pay off debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is Lewinsky-Ofer's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So if you're keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend.

In the last year Lewinsky-Ofer had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 10%, to ₪62m. That's not what we would hope to see.

Caveat Emptor

While Lewinsky-Ofer's falling revenue is about as heartwarming as a wet blanket, arguably its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is even less appealing. To be specific the EBIT loss came in at ₪4.3m. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above does not give us much confidence that company should be using so much debt. Quite frankly we think the balance sheet is far from match-fit, although it could be improved with time. For example, we would not want to see a repeat of last year's loss of ₪7.4m. So to be blunt we do think it is 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. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Lewinsky-Ofer (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.