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We Think WPX Energy (NYSE:WPX) Is Taking Some Risk With Its Debt

Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that '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. Importantly, WPX Energy, Inc. (NYSE:WPX) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

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. 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, the upside of debt is that it often represents cheap capital, especially when it replaces dilution in a company with the ability to reinvest at high rates of return. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for WPX Energy

What Is WPX Energy's Net Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that WPX Energy had US$2.16b in debt in June 2019; about the same as the year before. However, it also had US$109.0m in cash, and so its net debt is US$2.05b.

NYSE:WPX Historical Debt, September 18th 2019
NYSE:WPX Historical Debt, September 18th 2019

How Strong Is WPX Energy's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that WPX Energy had liabilities of US$1.03b due within a year, and liabilities of US$2.97b falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had US$109.0m in cash and US$505.0m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$3.38b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of US$4.85b. This suggests shareholders would heavily diluted if the company needed to shore up its balance sheet in a hurry.

We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). 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).

Looking at its net debt to EBITDA of 1.4 and interest cover of 3.7 times, it seems to us that WPX Energy is probably using debt in a pretty reasonable way. But the interest payments are certainly sufficient to have us thinking about how affordable its debt is. We also note that WPX Energy improved its EBIT from a last year's loss to a positive US$580m. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine WPX Energy'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. So it is important to check how much of its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) converts to actual free cash flow. Over the last year, WPX Energy saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. While investors are no doubt expecting a reversal of that situation in due course, it clearly does mean its use of debt is more risky.

Our View

Mulling over WPX Energy's attempt at converting EBIT to free cash flow, we're certainly not enthusiastic. Having said that, its ability handle its debt, based on its EBITDA, isn't such a worry. Overall, we think it's fair to say that WPX Energy has enough debt that there are some real risks around the balance sheet. If all goes well, that should boost returns, but on the flip side, the risk of permanent capital loss is elevated by the debt. Above most other metrics, we think its important to track how fast earnings per share is growing, if at all. If you've also come to that realization, you're in luck, because today you can view this interactive graph of WPX Energy's earnings per share history for free.

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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