Stock Analysis

SeSa (BIT:SES) Could Easily Take On More Debt

BIT:SES
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Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, '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 SeSa S.p.A. (BIT:SES) does have debt on its balance sheet. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt A Problem?

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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for SeSa

How Much Debt Does SeSa Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at January 2023 SeSa had debt of €402.9m, up from €334.2m in one year. But on the other hand it also has €460.3m in cash, leading to a €57.4m net cash position.

debt-equity-history-analysis
BIT:SES Debt to Equity History April 1st 2023

How Healthy Is SeSa's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that SeSa had liabilities of €1.11b falling due within a year, and liabilities of €437.5m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had €460.3m in cash and €798.9m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by €285.9m.

Given SeSa has a market capitalization of €1.90b, 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, SeSa boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

Also positive, SeSa grew its EBIT by 21% in the last year, and that should make it easier to pay down debt, going forward. 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 SeSa'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. SeSa 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, SeSa actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash conversion gets us as excited as the crowd when the beat drops at a Daft Punk concert.

Summing Up

While SeSa does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of €57.4m. The cherry on top was that in converted 113% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in €107m. So we don't think SeSa's use of debt is risky. Over time, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, so if you're interested in SeSa, you may well want to click here to check an interactive graph of its earnings per share history.

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.

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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.