Is Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) Weighed On By Its Debt Load?

Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' 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 Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

View our latest analysis for Alaska Air Group

What Is Alaska Air Group's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Alaska Air Group had debt of US$2.55b at the end of December 2021, a reduction from US$3.52b over a year. But it also has US$3.12b in cash to offset that, meaning it has US$568.0m net cash.

How Healthy Is Alaska Air Group's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Alaska Air Group had liabilities of US$3.99b falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$6.16b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$3.12b in cash and US$546.0m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$6.49b.

Given this deficit is actually higher than the company's market capitalization of US$6.25b, we think shareholders really should watch Alaska Air Group's debt levels, like a parent watching their child ride a bike for the first time. Hypothetically, extremely heavy dilution would be required if the company were forced to pay down its liabilities by raising capital at the current share price. Alaska Air Group boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load, even if it does have very significant liabilities, in total. 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 Alaska Air Group 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.

Over 12 months, Alaska Air Group reported revenue of US$6.2b, which is a gain of 73%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. Shareholders probably have their fingers crossed that it can grow its way to profits.

So How Risky Is Alaska Air Group?

While Alaska Air Group lost money on an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) level, it actually booked a paper profit of US$478m. So when you consider it has net cash, along with the statutory profit, the stock probably isn't as risky as it might seem, at least in the short term. The saving grace for the stock is the strong revenue growth of 73% over the last twelve months. But we genuinely do think the balance sheet is a risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that Alaska Air Group is showing 2 warning signs 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.

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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.