Stock Analysis
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 Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE:VSTO) makes use of debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.
When Is Debt A Problem?
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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.
View our latest analysis for Vista Outdoor
What Is Vista Outdoor's Net Debt?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Vista Outdoor had debt of US$345.3m at the end of September 2020, a reduction from US$578.3m over a year. On the flip side, it has US$40.7m in cash leading to net debt of about US$304.6m.
How Strong Is Vista Outdoor's Balance Sheet?
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Vista Outdoor had liabilities of US$319.0m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$537.6m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$40.7m as well as receivables valued at US$366.0m due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$450.0m.
This deficit isn't so bad because Vista Outdoor is worth US$1.64b, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. However, it is still worthwhile taking a close look at its ability to pay off debt.
We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.
While Vista Outdoor's low debt to EBITDA ratio of 1.4 suggests only modest use of debt, the fact that EBIT only covered the interest expense by 5.6 times last year does give us pause. So we'd recommend keeping a close eye on the impact financing costs are having on the business. Notably, Vista Outdoor's EBIT launched higher than Elon Musk, gaining a whopping 1,877% on last year. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Vista Outdoor can strengthen its balance sheet over time. 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 it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Happily for any shareholders, Vista Outdoor actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last three years. That sort of strong cash conversion gets us as excited as the crowd when the beat drops at a Daft Punk concert.
Our View
Happily, Vista Outdoor's impressive conversion of EBIT to free cash flow implies it has the upper hand on its debt. And the good news does not stop there, as its EBIT growth rate also supports that impression! Zooming out, Vista Outdoor seems to use debt quite reasonably; and that gets the nod from us. After all, sensible leverage can boost returns on equity. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Vista Outdoor , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
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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What are the risks and opportunities for Vista Outdoor?
Vista Outdoor Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets consumer products in the outdoor sports and recreation markets in the United States and internationally.
Rewards
Trading at 57.2% below our estimate of its fair value
Risks
Earnings are forecast to decline by an average of 8% per year for the next 3 years
Has a high level of debt
Further research on
Vista Outdoor
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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About NYSE:VSTO
Vista Outdoor
Vista Outdoor Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets consumer products in the outdoor sports and recreation markets in the United States and internationally.
Undervalued with acceptable track record.
