Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. As with many other companies Exact Sciences Corporation (NASDAQ:EXAS) makes use of debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.

What Is Exact Sciences's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at September 2024 Exact Sciences had debt of US$2.57b, up from US$2.36b in one year. However, it does have US$1.02b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about US$1.55b.

How Healthy Is Exact Sciences' Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Exact Sciences had liabilities of US$723.7m due within a year, and liabilities of US$2.81b falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$1.02b as well as receivables valued at US$269.0m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$2.25b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Exact Sciences has a very large market capitalization of US$10.7b, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. However, it is still worthwhile taking a close look at its ability to pay off debt. 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 Exact Sciences 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.

Over 12 months, Exact Sciences reported revenue of US$2.7b, which is a gain of 12%, although it did not report any earnings before interest and tax. We usually like to see faster growth from unprofitable companies, but each to their own.

Caveat Emptor

Over the last twelve months Exact Sciences produced an earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss. To be specific the EBIT loss came in at US$227m. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. Quite frankly we think the balance sheet is far from match-fit, although it could be improved with time. For example, we would not want to see a repeat of last year's loss of US$214m. So to be blunt we do think it is risky. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Exact Sciences that you should be aware of.

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.

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