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Does Penn Virginia (NASDAQ:PVAC) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?
The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says '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 note that Penn Virginia Corporation (NASDAQ:PVAC) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
Debt is a tool to help businesses grow, but if a business is incapable of paying off its lenders, then it exists at their mercy. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
View our latest analysis for Penn Virginia
What Is Penn Virginia's Net Debt?
As you can see below, Penn Virginia had US$382.9m of debt at June 2021, down from US$560.4m a year prior. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$49.7m, its net debt is less, at about US$333.2m.
A Look At Penn Virginia's Liabilities
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Penn Virginia had liabilities of US$205.0m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$402.2m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$49.7m and US$75.0m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total US$482.5m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.
The deficiency here weighs heavily on the US$236.6m company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. At the end of the day, Penn Virginia would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment.
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). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.
While we wouldn't worry about Penn Virginia's net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.8, we think its super-low interest cover of 0.098 times is a sign of high leverage. It seems that the business incurs large depreciation and amortisation charges, so maybe its debt load is heavier than it would first appear, since EBITDA is arguably a generous measure of earnings. It seems clear that the cost of borrowing money is negatively impacting returns for shareholders, of late. Worse, Penn Virginia's EBIT was down 99% over the last year. If earnings continue to follow that trajectory, paying off that debt load will be harder than convincing us to run a marathon in the rain. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Penn Virginia'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. Considering the last three years, Penn Virginia actually recorded a cash outflow, overall. Debt is far more risky for companies with unreliable free cash flow, so shareholders should be hoping that the past expenditure will produce free cash flow in the future.
Our View
To be frank both Penn Virginia's EBIT growth rate and its track record of staying on top of its total liabilities make us rather uncomfortable with its debt levels. And even its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow fails to inspire much confidence. Considering all the factors previously mentioned, we think that Penn Virginia really is carrying too much debt. To our minds, that means the stock is rather high risk, and probably one to avoid; but to each their own (investing) style. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Penn Virginia .
If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.
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What are the risks and opportunities for Ranger Oil?
Ranger Oil Corporation, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the onshore exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States.
Rewards
Price-To-Earnings ratio (3x) is below the US market (14.9x)
Earnings are forecast to grow 29.44% per year
Became profitable this year
Risks
Has a high level of debt
Further research on
Ranger Oil
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 NasdaqGS:ROCC
Ranger Oil
Ranger Oil Corporation, an independent oil and gas company, engages in the onshore exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States.
Good value with reasonable growth potential.
