Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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. We can see that Cisen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (SHSE:603367) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

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

View our latest analysis for Cisen Pharmaceutical

How Much Debt Does Cisen Pharmaceutical Carry?

As you can see below, Cisen Pharmaceutical had CN¥150.7m of debt, at September 2023, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. However, its balance sheet shows it holds CN¥2.70b in cash, so it actually has CN¥2.55b net cash.

A Look At Cisen Pharmaceutical's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Cisen Pharmaceutical had liabilities of CN¥1.26b due within 12 months and liabilities of CN¥207.1m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of CN¥2.70b and CN¥1.08b worth of receivables due within a year. So it can boast CN¥2.31b more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This excess liquidity is a great indication that Cisen Pharmaceutical's balance sheet is almost as strong as Fort Knox. With this in mind one could posit that its balance sheet means the company is able to handle some adversity. Simply put, the fact that Cisen Pharmaceutical has more cash than debt is arguably a good indication that it can manage its debt safely.

In addition to that, we're happy to report that Cisen Pharmaceutical has boosted its EBIT by 67%, thus reducing the spectre of future debt repayments. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But you can't view debt in total isolation; since Cisen Pharmaceutical will need earnings to service that debt. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. While Cisen Pharmaceutical 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, Cisen Pharmaceutical generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 80% 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 Cisen Pharmaceutical has net cash of CN¥2.55b, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. The cherry on top was that in converted 80% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in CN¥381m. When it comes to Cisen Pharmaceutical's debt, we sufficiently relaxed that our mind turns to the jacuzzi. 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 2 warning signs for Cisen Pharmaceutical you should be aware of, and 1 of them is potentially serious.

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.

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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.