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. We note that Jiangsu United Water Technology Co.,Ltd. (SHSE:603291) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

How Much Debt Does Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd had debt of CN¥857.9m at the end of September 2023, a reduction from CN¥897.3m over a year. However, because it has a cash reserve of CN¥197.9m, its net debt is less, at about CN¥660.0m.

A Look At Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd's Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd had liabilities of CN¥784.5m falling due within a year, and liabilities of CN¥1.17b due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CN¥197.9m as well as receivables valued at CN¥448.0m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CN¥1.30b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd has a market capitalization of CN¥4.88b, 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.

In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). 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).

Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd's net debt is sitting at a very reasonable 1.7 times its EBITDA, while its EBIT covered its interest expense just 4.9 times last year. While that doesn't worry us too much, it does suggest the interest payments are somewhat of a burden. We saw Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd grow its EBIT by 6.0% in the last twelve months. That's far from incredible but it is a good thing, when it comes to paying off debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd'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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Considering the last three years, Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd actually recorded a cash outflow, overall. Debt is usually more expensive, and almost always more risky in the hands of a company with negative free cash flow. Shareholders ought to hope for an improvement.

Our View

Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd's conversion of EBIT to free cash flow was a real negative on this analysis, although the other factors we considered cast it in a significantly better light. But on the bright side, its ability to to grow its EBIT isn't too shabby at all. We should also note that Water Utilities industry companies like Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd commonly do use debt without problems. Looking at all the angles mentioned above, it does seem to us that Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd is a somewhat risky investment as a result of its debt. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since leverage can boost returns on equity, but it is something to be aware of. Over time, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, so if you're interested in Jiangsu United Water TechnologyLtd, you may well want to click here to check an interactive graph of its earnings per share history.

At the end of the day, it's often better to focus on companies that are free from net debt. You can access our special list of such companies (all with a track record of profit growth). It's free.

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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.