These 4 Measures Indicate That boohoo group (LON:BOO) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. We can see that boohoo group plc (LON:BOO) does use debt in its business. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

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 usual (but still expensive) situation is where a company must dilute shareholders at a cheap share price simply to get debt under control. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

See our latest analysis for boohoo group

What Is boohoo group's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at August 2021 boohoo group had debt of UK£50.0m, up from none in one year. However, its balance sheet shows it holds UK£148.4m in cash, so it actually has UK£98.4m net cash.

How Healthy Is boohoo group's Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, boohoo group had liabilities of UK£409.3m due within 12 months, and liabilities of UK£52.0m due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of UK£148.4m and UK£41.0m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling UK£271.9m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given boohoo group has a market capitalization of UK£2.34b, it's hard to believe these liabilities pose much threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, boohoo group boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

On the other hand, boohoo group's EBIT dived 11%, over the last year. We think hat kind of performance, if repeated frequently, could well lead to difficulties for the stock. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if boohoo group 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, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. boohoo group 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 three years, boohoo group recorded negative free cash flow, in total. Debt is usually more expensive, and almost always more risky in the hands of a company with negative free cash flow. Shareholders ought to hope for an improvement.

Summing up

While boohoo group does have more liabilities than liquid assets, it also has net cash of UK£98.4m. So we are not troubled with boohoo group's debt use. 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 3 warning signs for boohoo group you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

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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