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.' 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. We can see that Fujian Furi Electronics Co.,Ltd (SHSE:600203) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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 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, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

View our latest analysis for Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd

What Is Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd's Net Debt?

As you can see below, Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd had CN¥2.78b of debt, at September 2023, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. On the flip side, it has CN¥1.25b in cash leading to net debt of about CN¥1.53b.

How Strong Is Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd had liabilities of CN¥4.50b due within a year, and liabilities of CN¥990.1m falling due after that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CN¥1.25b as well as receivables valued at CN¥2.21b due within 12 months. So its liabilities total CN¥2.02b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd has a market capitalization of CN¥4.60b, 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. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But it is Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So when considering debt, it's definitely worth looking at the earnings trend. Click here for an interactive snapshot.

Over 12 months, Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd made a loss at the EBIT level, and saw its revenue drop to CN¥12b, which is a fall of 36%. That makes us nervous, to say the least.

Caveat Emptor

While Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd's falling revenue is about as heartwarming as a wet blanket, arguably its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is even less appealing. Indeed, it lost CN¥233m at the EBIT level. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. So we think its balance sheet is a little strained, though not beyond repair. However, it doesn't help that it burned through CN¥113m of cash over the last year. So to be blunt we think it is 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. Be aware that Fujian Furi ElectronicsLtd is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , 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.