Is GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO) Using Too Much Debt?

Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. Importantly, GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRO) does carry 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. 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. Of course, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest 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.

View our latest analysis for GoPro

What Is GoPro's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of September 2021, GoPro had US$229.7m of debt, up from US$156.8m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$378.5m in cash, so it actually has US$148.9m net cash.

A Look At GoPro's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that GoPro had liabilities of US$395.5m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$167.7m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$378.5m in cash and US$98.8m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$85.9m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given GoPro has a market capitalization of US$1.56b, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. While it does have liabilities worth noting, GoPro also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.

Notably, GoPro's EBIT launched higher than Elon Musk, gaining a whopping 212% on last year. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if GoPro 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, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. GoPro 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, GoPro actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that GoPro has US$148.9m in net cash. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$166m, being 166% of its EBIT. So is GoPro's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for GoPro you should be aware of, and 2 of them don't sit too well with us.

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.