Destini Berhad (KLSE:DESTINI) Is Making Moderate Use Of Debt

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' 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. Importantly, Destini Berhad (KLSE:DESTINI) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

Check out our latest analysis for Destini Berhad

What Is Destini Berhad's Debt?

As you can see below, Destini Berhad had RM116.1m of debt at December 2020, down from RM123.2m a year prior. However, it also had RM8.35m in cash, and so its net debt is RM107.7m.

How Healthy Is Destini Berhad's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, Destini Berhad had liabilities of RM272.6m due within 12 months, and liabilities of RM45.6m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of RM8.35m and RM241.1m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling RM68.8m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit isn't so bad because Destini Berhad is worth RM312.7m, 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. 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 Destini Berhad 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.

Over 12 months, Destini Berhad made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to RM137m, which is a fall of 54%. That makes us nervous, to say the least.

Caveat Emptor

Not only did Destini Berhad's revenue slip over the last twelve months, but it also produced negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). Indeed, it lost a very considerable RM118m at the EBIT level. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. So we think its balance sheet is a little strained, though not beyond repair. However, it doesn't help that it burned through RM15m of cash over the last year. So to be blunt we think it is 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. For example Destini Berhad has 4 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

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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