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.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We note that Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

What Is Smith & Wesson Brands's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at July 2024 Smith & Wesson Brands had debt of US$69.9m, up from US$24.8m in one year. However, it also had US$35.5m in cash, and so its net debt is US$34.4m.

How Healthy Is Smith & Wesson Brands' Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Smith & Wesson Brands had liabilities of US$80.5m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$112.8m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$35.5m and US$50.9m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling US$106.8m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Since publicly traded Smith & Wesson Brands shares are worth a total of US$576.4m, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward.

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). Thus we consider debt relative to earnings both with and without depreciation and amortization expenses.

Smith & Wesson Brands has a low net debt to EBITDA ratio of only 0.45. And its EBIT covers its interest expense a whopping 15.2 times over. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. In fact Smith & Wesson Brands's saving grace is its low debt levels, because its EBIT has tanked 24% in the last twelve months. Falling earnings (if the trend continues) could eventually make even modest debt quite risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Smith & Wesson Brands can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the last three years, Smith & Wesson Brands 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

We feel some trepidation about Smith & Wesson Brands's difficulty EBIT growth rate, but we've got positives to focus on, too. To wit both its interest cover and net debt to EBITDA were encouraging signs. When we consider all the factors discussed, it seems to us that Smith & Wesson Brands is taking some risks with its use of debt. While that debt can boost returns, we think the company has enough leverage now. 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. We've identified 1 warning sign with Smith & Wesson Brands , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course, if you're the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don't hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.

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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.