Sumitomo Pharma (TSE:4506) Has Debt But No Earnings; Should You Worry?

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 Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (TSE:4506) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

View our latest analysis for Sumitomo Pharma

What Is Sumitomo Pharma's Net Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Sumitomo Pharma had JP¥389.4b in debt in September 2024; about the same as the year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of JP¥99.1b, its net debt is less, at about JP¥290.3b.

How Healthy Is Sumitomo Pharma's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Sumitomo Pharma had liabilities of JP¥484.2b due within 12 months and liabilities of JP¥201.3b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had JP¥99.1b in cash and JP¥68.9b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling JP¥517.6b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the JP¥244.7b company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. After all, Sumitomo Pharma would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Sumitomo Pharma 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.

Over 12 months, Sumitomo Pharma made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to JP¥343b, which is a fall of 12%. That's not what we would hope to see.

Caveat Emptor

While Sumitomo Pharma's falling revenue is about as heartwarming as a wet blanket, arguably its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is even less appealing. Indeed, it lost a very considerable JP¥277b at the EBIT level. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above make us nervous about the company. We'd want to see some strong near-term improvements before getting too interested in the stock. Not least because it burned through JP¥78b in negative free cash flow over the last year. So suffice it to say we consider the stock to be risky. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Sumitomo Pharma you should be aware of.

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.