Is ViTrox Corporation Berhad (KLSE:VITROX) A Risky Investment?

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that ViTrox Corporation Berhad (KLSE:VITROX) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for ViTrox Corporation Berhad

What Is ViTrox Corporation Berhad's Net Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that ViTrox Corporation Berhad had debt of RM36.9m at the end of September 2021, a reduction from RM43.9m over a year. However, it does have RM254.1m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of RM217.2m.

How Strong Is ViTrox Corporation Berhad's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that ViTrox Corporation Berhad had liabilities of RM192.4m due within 12 months and liabilities of RM32.5m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of RM254.1m and RM222.1m worth of receivables due within a year. So it can boast RM251.2m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This surplus suggests that ViTrox Corporation Berhad has a conservative balance sheet, and could probably eliminate its debt without much difficulty. Succinctly put, ViTrox Corporation Berhad boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

In addition to that, we're happy to report that ViTrox Corporation Berhad has boosted its EBIT by 43%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine ViTrox Corporation Berhad's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. ViTrox Corporation Berhad may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Looking at the most recent three years, ViTrox Corporation Berhad recorded free cash flow of 36% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Summing up

While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that ViTrox Corporation Berhad has net cash of RM217.2m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. And we liked the look of last year's 43% year-on-year EBIT growth. So is ViTrox Corporation Berhad's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for ViTrox Corporation Berhad you should know about.

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.

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.

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