Is MaxLinear (NASDAQ:MXL) A Risky Investment?

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 can see that MaxLinear, Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for MaxLinear

What Is MaxLinear's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that MaxLinear had debt of US$121.9m at the end of March 2023, a reduction from US$286.3m over a year. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$226.5m in cash, so it actually has US$104.6m net cash.

A Look At MaxLinear's Liabilities

The latest balance sheet data shows that MaxLinear had liabilities of US$300.2m due within a year, and liabilities of US$164.2m falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$226.5m as well as receivables valued at US$188.7m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$49.1m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

Of course, MaxLinear has a market capitalization of US$2.33b, so these liabilities are probably manageable. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, MaxLinear boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

In addition to that, we're happy to report that MaxLinear has boosted its EBIT by 66%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine MaxLinear'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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. MaxLinear 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 two years, MaxLinear actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash conversion gets us as excited as the crowd when the beat drops at a Daft Punk concert.

Summing Up

We could understand if investors are concerned about MaxLinear's liabilities, but we can be reassured by the fact it has has net cash of US$104.6m. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$248m, being 168% of its EBIT. So is MaxLinear's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for MaxLinear you should be aware of.

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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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.