Does Anthem (NYSE:ANTM) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital.' So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. As with many other companies Anthem, Inc. (NYSE:ANTM) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. 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 step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Anthem

How Much Debt Does Anthem Carry?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Anthem had US$23.3b in debt in March 2022; about the same as the year before. But on the other hand it also has US$34.0b in cash, leading to a US$10.8b net cash position.

How Strong Is Anthem's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Anthem had liabilities of US$39.7b due within 12 months and liabilities of US$24.7b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$34.0b and US$14.5b worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling US$15.9b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Since publicly traded Anthem shares are worth a very impressive total of US$121.2b, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Anthem also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.

Fortunately, Anthem grew its EBIT by 9.3% in the last year, making that debt load look even more manageable. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Anthem 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. Anthem 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 three years, Anthem recorded free cash flow worth a fulsome 94% of its EBIT, which is stronger than we'd usually expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Summing up

While Anthem does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of US$10.8b. The cherry on top was that in converted 94% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in US$7.3b. So we don't think Anthem's use of debt is 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Anthem .

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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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.