We Think Pure Storage (NYSE:PSTG) Can Stay On Top Of Its Debt

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.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. Importantly, Pure Storage, Inc. (NYSE:PSTG) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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 think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Pure Storage

What Is Pure Storage's Net Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Pure Storage had US$100.0m of debt in August 2023, down from US$573.2m, one year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$1.23b in cash, so it actually has US$1.13b net cash.

How Strong Is Pure Storage's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, Pure Storage had liabilities of US$1.20b due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$943.8m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had US$1.23b in cash and US$525.3m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$393.7m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

Since publicly traded Pure Storage shares are worth a very impressive total of US$10.3b, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Pure Storage boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

In fact Pure Storage's saving grace is its low debt levels, because its EBIT has tanked 41% in the last twelve months. 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 Pure Storage 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, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. While Pure Storage 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. Happily for any shareholders, Pure Storage actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT over the last two years. 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 Pure Storage's liabilities, but we can be reassured by the fact it has has net cash of US$1.13b. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$456m, being 2,981% of its EBIT. So we are not troubled with Pure Storage's debt use. 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 Pure Storage you should be aware of.

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.