We Think CDW Holding (SGX:BXE) Can Manage Its Debt With Ease

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 CDW Holding Limited (SGX:BXE) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for CDW Holding

What Is CDW Holding's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at June 2021 CDW Holding had debt of US$10.5m, up from US$6.02m in one year. But on the other hand it also has US$30.2m in cash, leading to a US$19.7m net cash position.

How Healthy Is CDW Holding's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, CDW Holding had liabilities of US$41.7m due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$5.35m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$30.2m as well as receivables valued at US$34.7m due within 12 months. So it can boast US$17.9m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This surplus strongly suggests that CDW Holding has a rock-solid balance sheet (and the debt is of no concern whatsoever). Having regard to this fact, we think its balance sheet is as strong as an ox. Simply put, the fact that CDW Holding has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

But the other side of the story is that CDW Holding saw its EBIT decline by 4.3% over the last year. If earnings continue to decline at that rate the company may have increasing difficulty managing its debt load. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is CDW Holding'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.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. CDW Holding 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. Over the last two years, CDW Holding actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case CDW Holding has US$19.7m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. The cherry on top was that in converted 201% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in US$8.8m. So is CDW Holding's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. 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 CDW Holding (1 is significant) you should be aware of.

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.
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