Is RPSG Ventures (NSE:RPSGVENT) A Risky Investment?

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.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. We note that RPSG Ventures Limited (NSE:RPSGVENT) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for RPSG Ventures

What Is RPSG Ventures's Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that RPSG Ventures had ₹9.92b of debt in March 2021, down from ₹12.6b, one year before. However, it also had ₹2.57b in cash, and so its net debt is ₹7.36b.

How Healthy Is RPSG Ventures' Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that RPSG Ventures had liabilities of ₹17.0b due within a year, and liabilities of ₹11.7b falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of ₹2.57b as well as receivables valued at ₹8.79b due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by ₹17.3b.

When you consider that this deficiency exceeds the company's ₹16.7b market capitalization, you might well be inclined to review the balance sheet intently. Hypothetically, extremely heavy dilution would be required if the company were forced to pay down its liabilities by raising capital at the current share price.

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). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

While RPSG Ventures's low debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.3 suggests only modest use of debt, the fact that EBIT only covered the interest expense by 4.4 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. Notably, RPSG Ventures's EBIT launched higher than Elon Musk, gaining a whopping 153% on last year. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since RPSG Ventures 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 we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. During the last three years, RPSG Ventures generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 96% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Our View

RPSG Ventures's conversion of EBIT to free cash flow was a real positive on this analysis, as was its EBIT growth rate. On the other hand, its level of total liabilities makes us a little less comfortable about its debt. When we consider all the elements mentioned above, it seems to us that RPSG Ventures is managing its debt quite well. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with RPSG Ventures .

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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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.
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