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. As with many other companies Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (SGX:S63) makes use of debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

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. 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. 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 examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

See our latest analysis for Singapore Technologies Engineering

What Is Singapore Technologies Engineering's Net Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of June 2022, Singapore Technologies Engineering had S$6.17b of debt, up from S$2.03b a year ago. Click the image for more detail. However, it also had S$533.3m in cash, and so its net debt is S$5.64b.

How Strong Is Singapore Technologies Engineering's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Singapore Technologies Engineering had liabilities of S$7.52b falling due within a year, and liabilities of S$4.52b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of S$533.3m and S$3.23b worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by S$8.28b.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of S$12.5b. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.

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).

As it happens Singapore Technologies Engineering has a fairly concerning net debt to EBITDA ratio of 5.6 but very strong interest coverage of 11.3. So either it has access to very cheap long term debt or that interest expense is going to grow! Importantly Singapore Technologies Engineering's EBIT was essentially flat over the last twelve months. We would prefer to see some earnings growth, because that always helps diminish debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Singapore Technologies Engineering 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. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the last three years, Singapore Technologies Engineering recorded free cash flow worth a fulsome 85% of its EBIT, which is stronger than we'd usually expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Our View

Both Singapore Technologies Engineering's ability to to convert EBIT to free cash flow and its interest cover gave us comfort that it can handle its debt. In contrast, our confidence was undermined by its apparent struggle handle its debt, based on its EBITDA,. Looking at all this data makes us feel a little cautious about Singapore Technologies Engineering's debt levels. While debt does have its upside in higher potential returns, we think shareholders should definitely consider how debt levels might make the stock more risky. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that Singapore Technologies Engineering is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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.

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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.