Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' It's only natural to consider a company's balance sheet when you examine how risky it is, since debt is often involved when a business collapses. Importantly, Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:HA) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt A Problem?

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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Hawaiian Holdings

What Is Hawaiian Holdings's Net Debt?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Hawaiian Holdings had US$1.60b in debt in June 2023; about the same as the year before. On the flip side, it has US$1.31b in cash leading to net debt of about US$285.9m.

How Strong Is Hawaiian Holdings' Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Hawaiian Holdings had liabilities of US$1.30b falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$2.54b due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$1.31b as well as receivables valued at US$96.6m due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$2.43b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the US$391.4m company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we definitely think shareholders need to watch this one closely. At the end of the day, Hawaiian Holdings would probably need a major re-capitalization if its creditors were to demand repayment. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Hawaiian Holdings 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.

In the last year Hawaiian Holdings wasn't profitable at an EBIT level, but managed to grow its revenue by 28%, to US$2.8b. With any luck the company will be able to grow its way to profitability.

Caveat Emptor

While we can certainly appreciate Hawaiian Holdings's revenue growth, its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is not ideal. Its EBIT loss was a whopping US$154m. When you combine this with the very significant balance sheet liabilities mentioned above, we are so wary of it that we are basically at a loss for the right words. Like every long-shot we're sure it has a glossy presentation outlining its blue-sky potential. But the reality is that it is low on liquid assets relative to liabilities, and it burned through US$178m in the last year. So is this a high risk stock? We think so, and we'd avoid it. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Hawaiian Holdings (1 is potentially serious) you should be aware of.

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.