Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a 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. Importantly, Janus International Group, Inc. (NYSE:JBI) does carry debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. 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. 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 Janus International Group Carry?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Janus International Group had US$589.3m of debt in June 2024, down from US$655.2m, one year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$110.1m, its net debt is less, at about US$479.2m.

How Healthy Is Janus International Group's Balance Sheet?

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Janus International Group had liabilities of US$144.1m falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$635.0m due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$110.1m and US$211.5m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total US$457.5m more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

Janus International Group has a market capitalization of US$1.53b, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. But we definitely want to keep our eyes open to indications that its debt is bringing too much risk.

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). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Janus International Group's net debt is sitting at a very reasonable 1.7 times its EBITDA, while its EBIT covered its interest expense just 4.2 times last year. While that doesn't worry us too much, it does suggest the interest payments are somewhat of a burden. We saw Janus International Group grow its EBIT by 5.0% 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 ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Janus International Group 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.

Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Janus International Group recorded free cash flow worth 56% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate.

Our View

Both Janus International Group's ability to to convert EBIT to free cash flow and its EBIT growth rate gave us comfort that it can handle its debt. Having said that, its interest cover somewhat sensitizes us to potential future risks to the balance sheet. Looking at all this data makes us feel a little cautious about Janus International Group's debt levels. While debt does have its upside in higher potential returns, we think shareholders should definitely consider how debt levels might make the stock more risky. 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. These risks can be hard to spot. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Janus International Group you should know about.

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.