David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the 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. We note that Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:KOF) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

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. 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. 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 think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

How Much Debt Does Coca-Cola FEMSA. de Carry?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Coca-Cola FEMSA. de had Mex$68.6b in debt in June 2024; about the same as the year before. On the flip side, it has Mex$38.3b in cash leading to net debt of about Mex$30.3b.

A Look At Coca-Cola FEMSA. de's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Coca-Cola FEMSA. de had liabilities of Mex$65.8b due within 12 months and liabilities of Mex$87.3b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of Mex$38.3b and Mex$21.2b worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling Mex$93.6b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

This deficit isn't so bad because Coca-Cola FEMSA. de is worth a massive Mex$380.3b, and thus could probably raise enough capital to shore up 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).

With net debt sitting at just 0.68 times EBITDA, Coca-Cola FEMSA. de is arguably pretty conservatively geared. And it boasts interest cover of 7.8 times, which is more than adequate. And we also note warmly that Coca-Cola FEMSA. de grew its EBIT by 12% last year, making its debt load easier to handle. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Coca-Cola FEMSA. de's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. 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 most recent three years, Coca-Cola FEMSA. de recorded free cash flow worth 63% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.

Our View

Coca-Cola FEMSA. de's net debt to EBITDA suggests it can handle its debt as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo could score a goal against an under 14's goalkeeper. And that's just the beginning of the good news since its conversion of EBIT to free cash flow is also very heartening. When we consider the range of factors above, it looks like Coca-Cola FEMSA. de is pretty sensible with its use of debt. That means they are taking on a bit more risk, in the hope of boosting shareholder returns. Given Coca-Cola FEMSA. de has a strong balance sheet is profitable and pays a dividend, it would be good to know how fast its dividends are growing, if at all. You can find out instantly by clicking this link.

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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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.