These 4 Measures Indicate That CSW Industrials (NASDAQ:CSWI) Is Using Debt Reasonably Well

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' 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, CSW Industrials, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSWI) does carry debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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, 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. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for CSW Industrials

What Is CSW Industrials's Net Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that CSW Industrials had debt of US$12.6m at the end of June 2020, a reduction from US$22.7m over a year. However, it does have US$19.7m in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of US$7.10m.

A Look At CSW Industrials's Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, CSW Industrials had liabilities of US$54.0m due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$33.4m due beyond 12 months. Offsetting this, it had US$19.7m in cash and US$71.5m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it can boast US$3.83m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This state of affairs indicates that CSW Industrials's balance sheet looks quite solid, as its total liabilities are just about equal to its liquid assets. So while it's hard to imagine that the US$1.11b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. Simply put, the fact that CSW Industrials has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

But the bad news is that CSW Industrials has seen its EBIT plunge 10% in the last twelve months. If that rate of decline in earnings continues, the company could find itself in a tight spot. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine CSW Industrials's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. While CSW Industrials has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. During the last three years, CSW Industrials generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 88% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That puts it in a very strong position to pay down debt.

Summing up

While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that CSW Industrials has net cash of US$7.10m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. The cherry on top was that in converted 88% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in US$64m. So is CSW Industrials's debt a risk? It doesn't seem so to us. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for CSW Industrials that you should be aware of.

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.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.