Yahoo Finance Is T&G Global (NZSE:TGG) A Risky Investment?
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. We can see that T&G Global Limited (NZSE:TGG) does use debt in its business. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?
What Risk Does Debt Bring?
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. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
View our latest analysis for T&G Global
What Is T&G Global's Net Debt?
You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that T&G Global had NZ$44.5m of debt in December 2021, down from NZ$107.2m, one year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds NZ$59.5m in cash, so it actually has NZ$15.0m net cash.
How Strong Is T&G Global's Balance Sheet?
According to the last reported balance sheet, T&G Global had liabilities of NZ$210.0m due within 12 months, and liabilities of NZ$200.7m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of NZ$59.5m and NZ$146.3m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling NZ$204.9m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
This deficit isn't so bad because T&G Global is worth NZ$346.8m, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up its balance sheet, if the need arose. However, it is still worthwhile taking a close look at its ability to pay off debt. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, T&G Global boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
If T&G Global can keep growing EBIT at last year's rate of 11% over the last year, then it will find its debt load easier to manage. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is T&G Global's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.
But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While T&G Global 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. Looking at the most recent three years, T&G Global recorded free cash flow of 26% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That's not great, when it comes to paying down debt.
Summing up
While T&G Global does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of NZ$15.0m. On top of that, it increased its EBIT by 11% in the last twelve months. So while T&G Global does not have a great balance sheet, it's certainly not too bad. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that T&G Global is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...
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.
