Is Accel. de (BMV:ACCELSAB) Using Too Much Debt?

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 Accel, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:ACCELSAB) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for Accel. de

What Is Accel. de's Net Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of March 2021, Accel. de had Mex$1.85b of debt, up from Mex$1.37b a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it also had Mex$405.2m in cash, and so its net debt is Mex$1.44b.

How Strong Is Accel. de's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, Accel. de had liabilities of Mex$1.81b due within 12 months, and liabilities of Mex$2.44b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had Mex$405.2m in cash and Mex$2.01b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling Mex$1.83b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit isn't so bad because Accel. de is worth Mex$3.40b, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. But we definitely want to keep our eyes open to indications that its debt is bringing too much risk.

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Accel. de has net debt of just 1.4 times EBITDA, indicating that it is certainly not a reckless borrower. And it boasts interest cover of 9.3 times, which is more than adequate. On top of that, Accel. de grew its EBIT by 59% over the last twelve months, and that growth will make it easier to handle its debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is Accel. de's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So if you're keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the last three years, Accel. de recorded negative free cash flow, in total. Debt is usually more expensive, and almost always more risky in the hands of a company with negative free cash flow. Shareholders ought to hope for an improvement.

Our View

When it comes to the balance sheet, the standout positive for Accel. de was the fact that it seems able to grow its EBIT confidently. But the other factors we noted above weren't so encouraging. To be specific, it seems about as good at converting EBIT to free cash flow as wet socks are at keeping your feet warm. When we consider all the factors mentioned above, we do feel a bit cautious about Accel. de's use of debt. While we appreciate debt can enhance returns on equity, we'd suggest that shareholders keep close watch on its debt levels, lest they increase. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Accel. de .

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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