Is KEC International (NSE:KEC) Using Too Much 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.' So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. We note that KEC International Limited (NSE:KEC) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early.

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free 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. 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. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

What Is KEC International's Net Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of September 2025, KEC International had ₹50.2b of debt, up from ₹40.7b a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it does have ₹4.13b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about ₹46.1b.

A Look At KEC International's Liabilities

The latest balance sheet data shows that KEC International had liabilities of ₹173.1b due within a year, and liabilities of ₹6.58b falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of ₹4.13b as well as receivables valued at ₹172.2b due within 12 months. So these liquid assets roughly match the total liabilities.

Having regard to KEC International's size, it seems that its liquid assets are well balanced with its total liabilities. So it's very unlikely that the ₹204.5b company is short on cash, but still worth keeping an eye on the balance sheet.

Check out our latest analysis for KEC International

In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

While we wouldn't worry about KEC International's net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.9, we think its super-low interest cover of 2.4 times is a sign of high leverage. It seems clear that the cost of borrowing money is negatively impacting returns for shareholders, of late. Looking on the bright side, KEC International boosted its EBIT by a silky 34% in the last year. Like the milk of human kindness that sort of growth increases resilience, making the company more capable of managing debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine KEC International's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. In the last three years, KEC International created free cash flow amounting to 6.4% of its EBIT, an uninspiring performance. That limp level of cash conversion undermines its ability to manage and pay down debt.

Our View

On our analysis KEC International's EBIT growth rate should signal that it won't have too much trouble with its debt. However, our other observations weren't so heartening. In particular, interest cover gives us cold feet. Considering this range of data points, we think KEC International is in a good position to manage its debt levels. Having said that, the load is sufficiently heavy that we would recommend any shareholders keep a close eye on it. 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. Be aware that KEC International is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is potentially serious...

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

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.