Here's Why H.U. Group Holdings (TSE:4544) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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 H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. (TSE:4544) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

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Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

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. 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. 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.

What Is H.U. Group Holdings's Net Debt?

As you can see below, H.U. Group Holdings had JP¥70.3b of debt at September 2025, down from JP¥80.1b a year prior. However, it does have JP¥39.6b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about JP¥30.7b.

How Strong Is H.U. Group Holdings' Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that H.U. Group Holdings had liabilities of JP¥66.5b due within 12 months and liabilities of JP¥72.4b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had JP¥39.6b in cash and JP¥46.9b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by JP¥52.4b.

This deficit isn't so bad because H.U. Group Holdings is worth JP¥189.1b, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. But it's clear that we should definitely closely examine whether it can manage its debt without dilution.

View our latest analysis for H.U. Group Holdings

We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

H.U. Group Holdings's net debt is only 1.2 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT easily covers its interest expense, being 28.8 times the size. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. It was also good to see that despite losing money on the EBIT line last year, H.U. Group Holdings turned things around in the last 12 months, delivering and EBIT of JP¥3.7b. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if H.U. Group Holdings can strengthen its balance sheet over time. 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 business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So it's worth checking how much of the earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) is backed by free cash flow. Happily for any shareholders, H.U. Group Holdings actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last year. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit.

Our View

H.U. Group Holdings's interest cover suggests it can handle its debt as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo could score a goal against an under 14's goalkeeper. And that's just the beginning of the good news since its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow is also very heartening. We would also note that Healthcare industry companies like H.U. Group Holdings commonly do use debt without problems. When we consider the range of factors above, it looks like H.U. Group Holdings is pretty sensible with its use of debt. While that brings some risk, it can also enhance returns for shareholders. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for H.U. Group Holdings you should know about.

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.

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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.