These 4 Measures Indicate That DLF (NSE:DLF) Is Using Debt Safely

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.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. We note that DLF Limited (NSE:DLF) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

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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. 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.

What Is DLF's Net Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that DLF had debt of ₹15.3b at the end of September 2025, a reduction from ₹40.4b over a year. However, it does have ₹72.4b in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of ₹57.1b.

How Strong Is DLF's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that DLF had liabilities of ₹222.6b due within a year, and liabilities of ₹36.7b falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had ₹72.4b in cash and ₹15.5b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling ₹171.5b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given DLF has a humongous market capitalization of ₹1.68t, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, DLF boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

See our latest analysis for DLF

Fortunately, DLF grew its EBIT by 3.1% in the last year, making that debt load look even more manageable. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if DLF can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. DLF may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last three years, DLF actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.

Summing Up

Although DLF's balance sheet isn't particularly strong, due to the total liabilities, it is clearly positive to see that it has net cash of ₹57.1b. The cherry on top was that in converted 201% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in ₹44b. So we don't think DLF's use of debt is risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example - DLF has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.

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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.