SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ:SEDG) Seems To Use Debt Quite Sensibly

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 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. Importantly, SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEDG) does carry debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

When Is Debt A Problem?

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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. 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 think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for SolarEdge Technologies

What Is SolarEdge Technologies's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of December 2020, SolarEdge Technologies had US$590.2m of debt, up from US$15.7m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it does have US$1.03b in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of US$440.7m.

How Strong Is SolarEdge Technologies' Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that SolarEdge Technologies had liabilities of US$436.1m due within a year, and liabilities of US$915.3m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had US$1.03b in cash and US$325.4m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So these liquid assets roughly match the total liabilities.

This state of affairs indicates that SolarEdge Technologies' balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the US$13.7b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. Succinctly put, SolarEdge Technologies boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

It is just as well that SolarEdge Technologies's load is not too heavy, because its EBIT was down 37% over the last year. When it comes to paying off debt, falling earnings are no more useful than sugary sodas are for your health. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if SolarEdge Technologies 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.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. While SolarEdge Technologies has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. During the last three years, SolarEdge Technologies generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 87% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That puts it in a very strong position to pay down debt.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case SolarEdge Technologies has US$440.7m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. The cherry on top was that in converted 87% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in US$96m. So we don't have any problem with SolarEdge Technologies's use of debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for SolarEdge Technologies that 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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