Here's Why Green Brick Partners (NYSE:GRBK) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly

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, Green Brick Partners, Inc. (NYSE:GRBK) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Green Brick Partners

How Much Debt Does Green Brick Partners Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Green Brick Partners had debt of US$347.1m at the end of September 2023, a reduction from US$393.3m over a year. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$223.5m, its net debt is less, at about US$123.7m.

A Look At Green Brick Partners' Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, Green Brick Partners had liabilities of US$252.4m due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$317.4m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had US$223.5m in cash and US$9.96m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$336.4m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Of course, Green Brick Partners has a market capitalization of US$2.31b, so these liabilities are probably manageable. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse.

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

Green Brick Partners's net debt is only 0.37 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT easily covers its interest expense, being 1k times the size. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. On the other hand, Green Brick Partners saw its EBIT drop by 8.9% in the last twelve months. If earnings continue to decline at that rate the company may have increasing difficulty managing its debt load. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Green Brick Partners'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 the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Looking at the most recent three years, Green Brick Partners recorded free cash flow of 22% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Our View

Green Brick Partners'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 Green Brick Partners'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. 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 example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Green Brick Partners that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.