Is Doxee (BIT:DOX) Using Debt Sensibly?

Warren Buffett famously said, '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. As with many other companies Doxee S.p.A. (BIT:DOX) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

Advertisement

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. 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. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for Doxee

What Is Doxee's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of June 2023, Doxee had €21.1m of debt, up from €6.45m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. On the flip side, it has €4.34m in cash leading to net debt of about €16.8m.

debt-equity-history-analysis
BIT:DOX Debt to Equity History December 29th 2023

How Strong Is Doxee's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Doxee had liabilities of €19.4m falling due within a year, and liabilities of €21.0m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had €4.34m in cash and €14.2m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by €21.9m.

This deficit is considerable relative to its market capitalization of €26.5m, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Doxee's use of debt. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Doxee'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.

In the last year Doxee wasn't profitable at an EBIT level, but managed to grow its revenue by 22%, to €29m. Shareholders probably have their fingers crossed that it can grow its way to profits.

Caveat Emptor

While we can certainly appreciate Doxee's revenue growth, its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is not ideal. Indeed, it lost €1.5m at the EBIT level. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. So we think its balance sheet is a little strained, though not beyond repair. Another cause for caution is that is bled €5.5m in negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. So suffice it to say we consider the stock very 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. Be aware that Doxee is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is concerning...

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

New: Manage All Your Stock Portfolios in One Place

We've created the ultimate portfolio companion for stock investors, and it's free.

• Connect an unlimited number of Portfolios and see your total in one currency
• Be alerted to new Warning Signs or Risks via email or mobile
• Track the Fair Value of your stocks

Try a Demo Portfolio for Free

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.

About BIT:DOX

Doxee

A high-tech company, provides services for customer communications management (CCM), paperless, and digital customer experience markets.

Good value with reasonable growth potential.

Advertisement

Weekly Picks

JO
Jolt_Communications
MYSE logo
Jolt_Communications on Myseum ·

The Future of Social Sharing Is Private and People Are Ready

Fair Value:US$7.9577.1% undervalued
19 users have followed this narrative
0 users have commented on this narrative
0 users have liked this narrative
TO
Tokyo
ASML logo
Tokyo on ASML Holding ·

EU#3 - From Philips Management Buyout to Europe’s Biggest Company

Fair Value:€1.31k7.1% undervalued
27 users have followed this narrative
2 users have commented on this narrative
11 users have liked this narrative
YI
BKNG logo
yiannisz on Booking Holdings ·

Booking Holdings: Why Ground-Level Travel Trends Still Favor the Platform Giants

Fair Value:US$5.47k8.5% undervalued
6 users have followed this narrative
0 users have commented on this narrative
4 users have liked this narrative
CO
composite32
SHEL logo
composite32 on Shell ·

A fully integrated LNG business seems to be ignored by the market.

Fair Value:UK£36.122.6% undervalued
35 users have followed this narrative
0 users have commented on this narrative
9 users have liked this narrative

Updated Narratives

BL
BlackGoat
PLTR logo
BlackGoat on Palantir Technologies ·

Palantir: Redefining Enterprise Software for the AI Era

Fair Value:US$107.0237.0% overvalued
194 users have followed this narrative
6 users have commented on this narrative
1 users have liked this narrative
AN
andre_santos
MSFT logo
andre_santos on Microsoft ·

Microsoft - A Fundamental and Historical Valuation

Fair Value:US$437.171.6% undervalued
18 users have followed this narrative
4 users have commented on this narrative
0 users have liked this narrative
UN
unknown
MRK logo
unknown on Merck ·

The Oncology Anchor: Why Merck’s 46% Discount Defies the Keytruda Cliff

Fair Value:US$201.5645.3% undervalued
1 users have followed this narrative
0 users have commented on this narrative
0 users have liked this narrative

Popular Narratives

OO
NEO logo
OOO97 on Neo Performance Materials ·

Undervalued Key Player in Magnets/Rare Earth

Fair Value:CA$25.3324.4% undervalued
71 users have followed this narrative
0 users have commented on this narrative
19 users have liked this narrative
AN
AnalystConsensusTarget
NVDA logo
AnalystConsensusTarget on NVIDIA ·

NVDA: Expanding AI Demand Will Drive Major Data Center Investments Through 2026

Fair Value:US$253.0224.5% undervalued
1047 users have followed this narrative
6 users have commented on this narrative
31 users have liked this narrative
AN
AnalystConsensusTarget
AMZN logo
AnalystConsensusTarget on Amazon.com ·

AMZN: Acceleration In Cloud And AI Will Drive Margin Expansion Ahead

Fair Value:US$295.6119.1% undervalued
1342 users have followed this narrative
5 users have commented on this narrative
11 users have liked this narrative

Trending Discussion

JA
jayhcee
MPAA logo
jayhcee on Motorcar Parts of America ·

MPAA often has inventory and core-related timing issues. While this quarter’s problems may ease, similar issues have recurred historically and can persist for several quarters. It's not a one-off, it's a structural part of their business. Core returns are simply estimates: How many customers will actually return the original part; how quickly they'll do so; how many are useable; what they're worth, etc. MPAA predicts X sales in a quarter and Y core returns and its reserves, inventory values, etc. are based on that. If they expect a 90% core return rate and only 80% come back it doesn't change cash but they have to write down inventory and increase cost of goods sold which impacts EPS. They've also cited inventory buildup at key customers multiple times in the past. The assumption the latest backlog will all shift into future quarters this year with no impact on pricing, etc. seems more like wishful thinking. Retailer X was slated to buy $10m in parts this quarter but finds they have a lot more inventory on hand than they anticipated so they pushed the order. Realistically there are likely to be SKU cuts, reduction in safety stock on others, etc. Assuming that all $10m will come in this year plus the regular replenishment seems pretty unrealistic. MPAA also has a shaky track record when it comes to new lines and the supposed impact on business. If you look at the EV testing solutions hype back around 2020 that was supposed to diversify them beyond traditional reman and be a higher margin business that would grow with EV adoption. But it has never turned into a material contributor. The debt reduction and stock buy backs are meaningful but IMHO this narrative takes a very optimistic view of things.

0
|
0
Advertisement