WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Could Easily Take On More Debt

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. We can see that WD-40 Company (NASDAQ:WDFC) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for WD-40

What Is WD-40's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at November 2020 WD-40 had debt of US$115.5m, up from US$90.2m in one year. On the flip side, it has US$65.8m in cash leading to net debt of about US$49.7m.

A Look At WD-40's Liabilities

The latest balance sheet data shows that WD-40 had liabilities of US$66.9m due within a year, and liabilities of US$145.0m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$65.8m and US$91.1m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$55.0m.

This state of affairs indicates that WD-40's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So it's very unlikely that the US$4.06b company is short on cash, but still worth keeping an eye on the balance sheet. But either way, WD-40 has virtually no net debt, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

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). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

WD-40's net debt is only 0.51 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT covers its interest expense a whopping 36.7 times over. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. Also good is that WD-40 grew its EBIT at 13% over the last year, further increasing its ability to manage debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine WD-40's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. 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. So the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, WD-40 recorded free cash flow worth 66% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.

Our View

WD-40's interest cover suggests it can handle its debt as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo could score a goal against an under 14's goalkeeper. And the good news does not stop there, as its net debt to EBITDA also supports that impression! Looking at the bigger picture, we think WD-40's use of debt seems quite reasonable and we're not concerned about it. While debt does bring risk, when used wisely it can also bring a higher return on equity. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. We've identified 2 warning signs with WD-40 , 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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