Is Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) Using Too Much Debt?
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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 note that Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.
When Is Debt A Problem?
Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. 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 Occidental Petroleum
What Is Occidental Petroleum's Net Debt?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Occidental Petroleum had debt of US$19.1b at the end of December 2022, a reduction from US$29.8b over a year. However, it also had US$984.0m in cash, and so its net debt is US$18.2b.
How Healthy Is Occidental Petroleum's Balance Sheet?
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Occidental Petroleum had liabilities of US$7.76b falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$34.8b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$984.0m in cash and US$4.56b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$37.0b.
This deficit is considerable relative to its very significant market capitalization of US$51.1b, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Occidental Petroleum's use of debt. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.
In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).
Occidental Petroleum's net debt is only 0.88 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT easily covers its interest expense, being 24.4 times the size. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. Better yet, Occidental Petroleum grew its EBIT by 213% last year, which is an impressive improvement. If maintained that growth will make the debt even more manageable in the years ahead. 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 Occidental Petroleum can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.
Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So the logical step is to look at the proportion of that EBIT that is matched by actual free cash flow. Happily for any shareholders, Occidental Petroleum 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.
Our View
The good news is that Occidental Petroleum's demonstrated ability to cover its interest expense with its EBIT delights us like a fluffy puppy does a toddler. But, on a more sombre note, we are a little concerned by its level of total liabilities. Looking at the bigger picture, we think Occidental Petroleum's use of debt seems quite reasonable and we're not concerned about it. While debt does bring risk, when used wisely it can also bring a higher return on equity. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Occidental Petroleum you should be aware of, and 1 of them can't be ignored.
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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
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.
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