Is Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad (KLSE:XINHWA) Using Debt In A Risky Way?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. As with many other companies Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad (KLSE:XINHWA) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

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. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad

How Much Debt Does Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad Carry?

As you can see below, at the end of March 2023, Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad had RM106.8m of debt, up from RM100.4m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, because it has a cash reserve of RM17.2m, its net debt is less, at about RM89.6m.

How Strong Is Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad had liabilities of RM61.9m due within 12 months and liabilities of RM125.4m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of RM17.2m and RM39.0m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by RM131.1m.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the RM67.7m 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 definitely think shareholders need to watch this one closely. At the end of the day, Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad will need earnings to service that debt. 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.

Over 12 months, Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad reported revenue of RM127m, which is a gain of 20%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. With any luck the company will be able to grow its way to profitability.

Caveat Emptor

Despite the top line growth, Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad still had an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss over the last year. Indeed, it lost a very considerable RM10m at the EBIT level. When we look at that alongside the significant liabilities, we're not particularly confident about the company. It would need to improve its operations quickly for us to be interested in it. Not least because it had negative free cash flow of RM3.3m over the last twelve months. So suffice it to say we consider the stock to be risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Xin Hwa Holdings Berhad (2 are a bit unpleasant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

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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.