Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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 Disruptors Inc. (TSE:6538) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
Why Does Debt Bring Risk?
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. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.
How Much Debt Does Disruptors Carry?
You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Disruptors had JP¥828.0m of debt in March 2025, down from JP¥1.23b, one year before. But on the other hand it also has JP¥1.07b in cash, leading to a JP¥239.0m net cash position.
How Healthy Is Disruptors' Balance Sheet?
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Disruptors had liabilities of JP¥966.0m falling due within a year, and liabilities of JP¥624.0m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of JP¥1.07b and JP¥512.0m worth of receivables due within a year. So its total liabilities are just about perfectly matched by its shorter-term, liquid assets.
This state of affairs indicates that Disruptors' balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So it's very unlikely that the JP¥4.89b company is short on cash, but still worth keeping an eye on the balance sheet. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Disruptors also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.
See our latest analysis for Disruptors
Even more impressive was the fact that Disruptors grew its EBIT by 425% over twelve months. That boost will make it even easier to pay down debt going forward. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is Disruptors's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.
Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. While Disruptors has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. Happily for any shareholders, Disruptors actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last three years. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.
Summing Up
While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Disruptors has JP¥239.0m in net cash. And it impressed us with free cash flow of JP¥534m, being 113% of its EBIT. So is Disruptors's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Disruptors that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.