Is Grupo Televisa (BMV:TLEVISACPO) Using Too Much Debt?

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 Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (BMV:TLEVISACPO) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Grupo Televisa

What Is Grupo Televisa's Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Grupo Televisa had Mex$124.8b of debt in March 2021, down from Mex$160.6b, one year before. However, it does have Mex$28.9b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about Mex$96.0b.

A Look At Grupo Televisa's Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, Grupo Televisa had liabilities of Mex$59.9b due within 12 months, and liabilities of Mex$140.4b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had Mex$28.9b in cash and Mex$37.9b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total Mex$133.5b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of Mex$146.6b. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.

In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

While we wouldn't worry about Grupo Televisa's net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.5, we think its super-low interest cover of 1.8 times is a sign of high leverage. In large part that's due to the company's significant depreciation and amortisation charges, which arguably mean its EBITDA is a very generous measure of earnings, and its debt may be more of a burden than it first appears. It seems clear that the cost of borrowing money is negatively impacting returns for shareholders, of late. Importantly Grupo Televisa's EBIT was essentially flat over the last twelve months. We would prefer to see some earnings growth, because that always helps diminish debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Grupo Televisa can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. In the last three years, Grupo Televisa's free cash flow amounted to 45% of its EBIT, less than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Our View

Mulling over Grupo Televisa's attempt at covering its interest expense with its EBIT, we're certainly not enthusiastic. Having said that, its ability to convert EBIT to free cash flow isn't such a worry. Looking at the bigger picture, it seems clear to us that Grupo Televisa's use of debt is creating risks for the company. If everything goes well that may pay off but the downside of this debt is a greater risk of permanent losses. 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. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Grupo Televisa (1 can't be ignored) you should be aware of.

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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.
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