Does Quotient Technology (NYSE:QUOT) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. As with many other companies Quotient Technology Inc. (NYSE:QUOT) makes use of debt. 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, 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. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

Check out our latest analysis for Quotient Technology

How Much Debt Does Quotient Technology Carry?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of June 2022 Quotient Technology had US$199.4m of debt, an increase on US$182.9m, over one year. However, it does have US$214.9m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of US$15.6m.

How Strong Is Quotient Technology's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Quotient Technology had liabilities of US$319.2m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$26.5m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$214.9m as well as receivables valued at US$97.1m due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$33.7m.

Since publicly traded Quotient Technology shares are worth a total of US$232.3m, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Quotient Technology boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load! When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Quotient Technology'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.

In the last year Quotient Technology had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 14%, to US$430m. We would much prefer see growth.

So How Risky Is Quotient Technology?

We have no doubt that loss making companies are, in general, riskier than profitable ones. And in the last year Quotient Technology had an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss, truth be told. And over the same period it saw negative free cash outflow of US$14m and booked a US$85m accounting loss. With only US$15.6m on the balance sheet, it would appear that its going to need to raise capital again soon. Summing up, we're a little skeptical of this one, as it seems fairly risky in the absence of free cashflow. 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. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Quotient Technology that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.