Does Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, '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. We can see that Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. 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. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

Check out the opportunities and risks within the US Machinery industry.

What Is Mueller Water Products's Debt?

As you can see below, Mueller Water Products had US$445.2m of debt, at June 2022, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. However, it also had US$154.9m in cash, and so its net debt is US$290.3m.

How Strong Is Mueller Water Products' Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Mueller Water Products had liabilities of US$202.3m due within a year, and liabilities of US$603.5m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$154.9m and US$233.4m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$417.5m.

While this might seem like a lot, it is not so bad since Mueller Water Products has a market capitalization of US$1.62b, and so it could probably strengthen its balance sheet by raising capital if it needed to. But it's clear that we should definitely closely examine whether it can manage its debt without dilution.

In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). 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).

With net debt sitting at just 1.5 times EBITDA, Mueller Water Products is arguably pretty conservatively geared. And this view is supported by the solid interest coverage, with EBIT coming in at 8.2 times the interest expense over the last year. On the other hand, Mueller Water Products saw its EBIT drop by 8.1% in the last twelve months. If earnings continue to decline at that rate the company may have increasing difficulty managing its debt load. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Mueller Water Products can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Looking at the most recent three years, Mueller Water Products recorded free cash flow of 45% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That's not great, when it comes to paying down debt.

Our View

Mueller Water Products's interest cover was a real positive on this analysis, as was its net debt to EBITDA. On the other hand, its EBIT growth rate makes us a little less comfortable about its debt. Looking at all this data makes us feel a little cautious about Mueller Water Products's debt levels. While debt does have its upside in higher potential returns, we think shareholders should definitely consider how debt levels might make the stock more 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. For example Mueller Water Products has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.