Here's Why Vertoz Advertising (NSE:VERTOZ) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the 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. As with many other companies Vertoz Advertising Limited (NSE:VERTOZ) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

Check out our latest analysis for Vertoz Advertising

What Is Vertoz Advertising's Net Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at March 2021 Vertoz Advertising had debt of ₹123.5m, up from ₹104.9m in one year. On the flip side, it has ₹29.6m in cash leading to net debt of about ₹93.9m.

A Look At Vertoz Advertising's Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, Vertoz Advertising had liabilities of ₹230.3m due within 12 months, and liabilities of ₹30.9m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of ₹29.6m as well as receivables valued at ₹232.5m due within 12 months. So its total liabilities are just about perfectly matched by its shorter-term, liquid assets.

This state of affairs indicates that Vertoz Advertising's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the ₹2.35b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet.

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

While Vertoz Advertising's low debt to EBITDA ratio of 0.76 suggests only modest use of debt, the fact that EBIT only covered the interest expense by 6.6 times last year does give us pause. So we'd recommend keeping a close eye on the impact financing costs are having on the business. On top of that, Vertoz Advertising grew its EBIT by 83% over the last twelve months, and that growth will make it easier to handle its debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Vertoz Advertising will need earnings to service that debt. 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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Over the last three years, Vertoz Advertising saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. 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

Happily, Vertoz Advertising's impressive EBIT growth rate implies it has the upper hand on its debt. But we must concede we find its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow has the opposite effect. Looking at all the aforementioned factors together, it strikes us that Vertoz Advertising can handle its debt fairly comfortably. On the plus side, this leverage can boost shareholder returns, but the potential downside is more risk of loss, so it's worth monitoring the balance sheet. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Vertoz Advertising .

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.

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