These 4 Measures Indicate That Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well

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.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. As with many other companies The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. 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. 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. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

View our latest analysis for Middleby

What Is Middleby's Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Middleby had US$1.92b in debt in October 2021; about the same as the year before. However, it also had US$251.5m in cash, and so its net debt is US$1.67b.

A Look At Middleby's Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, Middleby had liabilities of US$822.8m due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$2.65b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had US$251.5m in cash and US$487.4m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$2.73b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Middleby has a very large market capitalization of US$10.2b, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. But it's clear that we should definitely closely examine whether it can manage its debt without dilution.

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). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

Middleby's net debt of 2.5 times EBITDA suggests graceful use of debt. And the fact that its trailing twelve months of EBIT was 8.5 times its interest expenses harmonizes with that theme. It is well worth noting that Middleby's EBIT shot up like bamboo after rain, gaining 35% in the last twelve months. That'll make it easier to manage its debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Middleby's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. During the last three years, Middleby generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 81% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Our View

Happily, Middleby's impressive conversion of EBIT to free cash flow implies it has the upper hand on its debt. But truth be told we feel its net debt to EBITDA does undermine this impression a bit. Looking at the bigger picture, we think Middleby's use of debt seems quite reasonable and we're not concerned about it. While debt does bring risk, when used wisely it can also bring a higher return on equity. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that Middleby is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

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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.