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.' 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. As with many other companies Propdo Ltd (TLV:PRPD) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
How Much Debt Does Propdo Carry?
As you can see below, at the end of June 2025, Propdo had ₪41.9m of debt, up from ₪15.0m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. On the flip side, it has ₪32.4m in cash leading to net debt of about ₪9.47m.
How Strong Is Propdo's Balance Sheet?
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Propdo had liabilities of ₪121.6m due within 12 months and liabilities of ₪69.2m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of ₪32.4m as well as receivables valued at ₪18.4m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling ₪140.0m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
Given this deficit is actually higher than the company's market capitalization of ₪126.4m, we think shareholders really should watch Propdo's debt levels, like a parent watching their child ride a bike for the first time. In the scenario where the company had to clean up its balance sheet quickly, it seems likely shareholders would suffer extensive dilution. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is Propdo'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.
View our latest analysis for Propdo
Over 12 months, Propdo reported revenue of ₪13m, which is a gain of 1,290%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. That's virtually the hole-in-one of revenue growth!
Caveat Emptor
Even though Propdo managed to grow its top line quite deftly, the cold hard truth is that it is losing money on the EBIT line. Its EBIT loss was a whopping ₪17m. 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. Not least because it had negative free cash flow of ₪37m over the last twelve months. So suffice it to say we consider the stock to be risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For example Propdo has 4 warning signs (and 2 which make us uncomfortable) we think 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. 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.