Is TA (SGX:PA3) A Risky Investment?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the 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. As with many other companies TA Corporation Ltd (SGX:PA3) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for TA

What Is TA's Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that TA had S$386.6m in debt in June 2020; about the same as the year before. However, it also had S$54.8m in cash, and so its net debt is S$331.8m.

How Healthy Is TA's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that TA had liabilities of S$398.4m due within 12 months and liabilities of S$239.8m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had S$54.8m in cash and S$54.3m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total S$529.1m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This deficit casts a shadow over the S$49.2m company, like a colossus towering over mere mortals. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. At the end of the day, TA 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 it is TA's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. 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.

In the last year TA wasn't profitable at an EBIT level, but managed to grow its revenue by 43%, to S$197m. With any luck the company will be able to grow its way to profitability.

Caveat Emptor

While we can certainly appreciate TA's revenue growth, its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is not ideal. Its EBIT loss was a whopping S$23m. When you combine this with the very significant balance sheet liabilities mentioned above, we are so wary of it that we are basically at a loss for the right words. Like every long-shot we're sure it has a glossy presentation outlining its blue-sky potential. But the reality is that it is low on liquid assets relative to liabilities, and it lost S$31m in the last year. So we think buying this stock is risky. 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 2 warning signs we've spotted with TA (including 1 which is makes us a bit uncomfortable) .

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. 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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