Does Jaguar Health (NASDAQ:JAGX) 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 seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. Importantly, Jaguar Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAGX) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt A Problem?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Jaguar Health

How Much Debt Does Jaguar Health Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at September 2020 Jaguar Health had debt of US$9.21m, up from US$6.68m in one year. On the flip side, it has US$1.35m in cash leading to net debt of about US$7.86m.

How Healthy Is Jaguar Health's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Jaguar Health had liabilities of US$25.8m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$2.66m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$1.35m and US$1.51m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$25.6m.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of US$31.8m. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution. 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 Jaguar Health'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.

Over 12 months, Jaguar Health reported revenue of US$8.3m, which is a gain of 42%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. Shareholders probably have their fingers crossed that it can grow its way to profits.

Caveat Emptor

Despite the top line growth, Jaguar Health still had an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss over the last year. Indeed, it lost a very considerable US$22m at the EBIT level. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above does not give us much confidence that company should be using so much debt. So we think its balance sheet is a little strained, though not beyond repair. Another cause for caution is that is bled US$14m in negative free cash flow over the last twelve months. So suffice it to say we consider the stock very risky. 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. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 4 warning signs with Jaguar Health (at least 2 which can't be ignored) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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. 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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