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. As with many other companies Caleres, Inc. (NYSE:CAL) makes use of debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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. 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 Caleres's Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Caleres had US$146.5m of debt in August 2024, down from US$244.0m, one year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$51.8m, its net debt is less, at about US$94.7m.

How Healthy Is Caleres' Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Caleres had liabilities of US$860.4m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$546.1m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$51.8m as well as receivables valued at US$156.3m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$1.20b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Given this deficit is actually higher than the company's market capitalization of US$1.13b, we think shareholders really should watch Caleres's debt levels, like a parent watching their child ride a bike for the first time. In the scenario where the company had to clean up its balance sheet quickly, it seems likely shareholders would suffer extensive dilution.

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Caleres's net debt is only 0.39 times its EBITDA. And its EBIT easily covers its interest expense, being 12.1 times the size. So we're pretty relaxed about its super-conservative use of debt. On the other hand, Caleres saw its EBIT drop by 2.5% in the last twelve months. If earnings continue to decline at that rate the company may have increasing difficulty managing its debt load. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Caleres'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.

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. Looking at the most recent three years, Caleres recorded free cash flow of 49% of its EBIT, which is weaker than we'd expect. That weak cash conversion makes it more difficult to handle indebtedness.

Our View

Even if we have reservations about how easily Caleres is capable of staying on top of its total liabilities, its interest cover and net debt to EBITDA make us think feel relatively unconcerned. Looking at all the angles mentioned above, it does seem to us that Caleres is a somewhat risky investment as a result of its debt. Not all risk is bad, as it can boost share price returns if it pays off, but this debt risk is worth keeping in mind. 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. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Caleres you should know about.

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

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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.