Stock Analysis
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. As with many other companies Globant S.A. (NYSE:GLOB) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
Why Does Debt Bring Risk?
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. 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. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.
See our latest analysis for Globant
What Is Globant's Net Debt?
As you can see below, Globant had US$12.2m of debt at December 2021, down from US$26.7m a year prior. But on the other hand it also has US$460.4m in cash, leading to a US$448.1m net cash position.
A Look At Globant's Liabilities
Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Globant had liabilities of US$386.3m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$195.6m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$460.4m and US$345.2m worth of receivables due within a year. So it can boast US$223.7m more liquid assets than total liabilities.
This state of affairs indicates that Globant's 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$11.3b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. Succinctly put, Globant 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 Globant has boosted its EBIT by 70%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. 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 Globant 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. While Globant 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. Over the most recent three years, Globant recorded free cash flow worth 57% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to investigate a company's debt, in this case Globant has US$448.1m in net cash and a decent-looking balance sheet. And it impressed us with its EBIT growth of 70% over the last year. So we don't think Globant's use of debt is 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. Be aware that Globant is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...
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.
What are the risks and opportunities for Globant?
Rewards
Earnings are forecast to grow 28.28% per year
Earnings grew by 61.7% over the past year
Risks
No risks detected for GLOB from our risks checks.
Further research on
Globant
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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.
About NYSE:GLOB
Globant
Globant S.A. operates as a technology services company worldwide.
Flawless balance sheet with solid track record.
