Is Projektengagemang Sweden (STO:PENG B) Using Too Much 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.' 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 Projektengagemang Sweden AB (publ) (STO:PENG B) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. 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 think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for Projektengagemang Sweden

How Much Debt Does Projektengagemang Sweden Carry?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Projektengagemang Sweden had kr291.0m of debt in June 2022, down from kr335.1m, one year before. Net debt is about the same, since the it doesn't have much cash.

How Healthy Is Projektengagemang Sweden's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Projektengagemang Sweden had liabilities of kr252.4m falling due within a year, and liabilities of kr223.0m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had kr3.80m in cash and kr227.6m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling kr244.0m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit is considerable relative to its market capitalization of kr303.3m, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Projektengagemang Sweden's use of debt. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry.

We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).

Projektengagemang Sweden has net debt to EBITDA of 4.2 suggesting it uses a fair bit of leverage to boost returns. But the high interest coverage of 7.2 suggests it can easily service that debt. It is well worth noting that Projektengagemang Sweden's EBIT shot up like bamboo after rain, gaining 57% in the last twelve months. That'll make it easier to manage its debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Projektengagemang Sweden's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So we clearly need to look at whether that EBIT is leading to corresponding free cash flow. Over the last three years, Projektengagemang Sweden actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit.

Our View

Happily, Projektengagemang Sweden's impressive conversion of EBIT to free cash flow implies it has the upper hand on its debt. But we must concede we find its net debt to EBITDA has the opposite effect. Looking at all the aforementioned factors together, it strikes us that Projektengagemang Sweden can handle its debt fairly comfortably. On the plus side, this leverage can boost shareholder returns, but the potential downside is more risk of loss, so it's worth monitoring the balance sheet. 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 learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Projektengagemang Sweden (including 1 which is a bit unpleasant) .

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.