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Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Has A Rock Solid Balance Sheet

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 Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. 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.

Check out our latest analysis for Advanced Energy Industries

What Is Advanced Energy Industries's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of September 2021, Advanced Energy Industries had US$400.4m of debt, up from US$329.8m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$550.8m in cash, so it actually has US$150.3m net cash.

debt-equity-history-analysis
debt-equity-history-analysis

How Strong Is Advanced Energy Industries' Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Advanced Energy Industries had liabilities of US$387.3m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$603.0m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$550.8m as well as receivables valued at US$239.1m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$200.4m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given Advanced Energy Industries has a market capitalization of US$3.48b, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Advanced Energy Industries also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.

The good news is that Advanced Energy Industries has increased its EBIT by 7.4% over twelve months, which should ease any concerns about debt repayment. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Advanced Energy Industries's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. 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 Advanced Energy Industries 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, Advanced Energy Industries recorded free cash flow worth 73% 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

We could understand if investors are concerned about Advanced Energy Industries's liabilities, but we can be reassured by the fact it has has net cash of US$150.3m. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$139m, being 73% of its EBIT. So is Advanced Energy Industries's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. 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. Be aware that Advanced Energy Industries 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.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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