Is Bird Construction (TSE:BDT) A Risky Investment?
Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a 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. We can see that Bird Construction Inc. (TSE:BDT) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.
See our latest analysis for Bird Construction
How Much Debt Does Bird Construction Carry?
As you can see below, Bird Construction had CA$73.0m of debt at December 2020, down from CA$126.1m a year prior. However, its balance sheet shows it holds CA$213.4m in cash, so it actually has CA$140.4m net cash.
How Strong Is Bird Construction's Balance Sheet?
The latest balance sheet data shows that Bird Construction had liabilities of CA$684.6m due within a year, and liabilities of CA$164.6m falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CA$213.4m as well as receivables valued at CA$598.7m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total CA$37.1m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.
Given Bird Construction has a market capitalization of CA$467.3m, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much 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, Bird Construction boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
Even more impressive was the fact that Bird Construction grew its EBIT by 330% over twelve months. That boost will make it even easier to pay down debt going forward. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Bird Construction 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. Bird Construction may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the last two years, Bird Construction recorded free cash flow worth a fulsome 96% of its EBIT, which is stronger than we'd usually expect. That puts it in a very strong position to pay down debt.
Summing up
While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Bird Construction has CA$140.4m in net cash. And it impressed us with free cash flow of CA$115m, being 96% of its EBIT. So we don't think Bird Construction's use of debt is risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example - Bird Construction has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.
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. 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.
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