Does Sakae Holdings (SGX:5DO) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

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.' 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. As with many other companies Sakae Holdings Ltd. (SGX:5DO) makes use of debt. 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. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

Check out our latest analysis for Sakae Holdings

What Is Sakae Holdings's Net Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Sakae Holdings had debt of S$39.0m at the end of December 2020, a reduction from S$45.7m over a year. However, it also had S$8.75m in cash, and so its net debt is S$30.2m.

How Healthy Is Sakae Holdings' Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Sakae Holdings had liabilities of S$47.9m due within 12 months and liabilities of S$21.8m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had S$8.75m in cash and S$2.97m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total S$58.0m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the S$19.9m 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, Sakae Holdings 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 Sakae Holdings'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.

Over 12 months, Sakae Holdings made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to S$24m, which is a fall of 43%. That makes us nervous, to say the least.

Caveat Emptor

Not only did Sakae Holdings's revenue slip over the last twelve months, but it also produced negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). Its EBIT loss was a whopping S$8.4m. Combining this information with the significant liabilities we already touched on makes us very hesitant about this stock, to say the least. That said, it is possible that the company will turn its fortunes around. However, we note that trailing twelve month EBIT is worse than the free cash flow of S$7.2m and the profit of S$1.7m. So one might argue that there's still a chance it can get things on the right track. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Sakae Holdings (1 is concerning) you should be aware of.

At the end of the day, it's often better to focus on companies that are free from net debt. You can access our special list of such companies (all with a track record of profit growth). It's free.

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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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