These 4 Measures Indicate That 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS) Is Using Debt Extensively

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.' 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 note that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) does have debt on its balance sheet. 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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

What Is 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's Net Debt?

As you can see below, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had US$167.2m of debt at March 2022, down from US$183.7m a year prior. On the flip side, it has US$93.0m in cash leading to net debt of about US$74.1m.

A Look At 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM had liabilities of US$267.6m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$327.3m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$93.0m as well as receivables valued at US$40.9m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$461.0m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of US$687.5m. This suggests shareholders would be heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry.

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). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).

1-800-FLOWERS.COM's net debt is only 0.56 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT easily covers its interest expense, being 14.5 times the size. So you could argue it is no more threatened by its debt than an elephant is by a mouse. It is just as well that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's load is not too heavy, because its EBIT was down 42% over the last year. When it comes to paying off debt, falling earnings are no more useful than sugary sodas are for your health. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if 1-800-FLOWERS.COM 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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM recorded free cash flow worth 63% 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

1-800-FLOWERS.COM's EBIT growth rate and level of total liabilities definitely weigh on it, in our esteem. But the good news is it seems to be able to cover its interest expense with its EBIT with ease. We think that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM's debt does make it a bit risky, after considering the aforementioned data points together. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since leverage can boost returns on equity, but it is something to be aware of. 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. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about.

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. 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.