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. We can see that Yunnan Tin Company Limited (SZSE:000960) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

What Is Yunnan Tin's Net Debt?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Yunnan Tin had CN¥13.4b of debt in March 2024, down from CN¥15.4b, one year before. However, it also had CN¥2.46b in cash, and so its net debt is CN¥10.9b.

A Look At Yunnan Tin's Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Yunnan Tin had liabilities of CN¥8.32b due within 12 months and liabilities of CN¥9.41b due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CN¥2.46b as well as receivables valued at CN¥1.60b due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CN¥13.7b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Yunnan Tin has a market capitalization of CN¥27.5b, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. But it's clear that we should definitely closely examine whether it can manage its debt without dilution.

We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Yunnan Tin has net debt to EBITDA of 3.1 suggesting it uses a fair bit of leverage to boost returns. On the plus side, its EBIT was 7.2 times its interest expense, and its net debt to EBITDA, was quite high, at 3.1. Pleasingly, Yunnan Tin is growing its EBIT faster than former Australian PM Bob Hawke downs a yard glass, boasting a 101% gain in the last twelve months. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Yunnan Tin can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, a company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. So we clearly need to look at whether that EBIT is leading to corresponding free cash flow. During the last three years, Yunnan Tin generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 81% of its EBIT, more than we'd expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.

Our View

Happily, Yunnan Tin's impressive conversion of EBIT to free cash flow implies it has the upper hand on its debt. But, on a more sombre note, we are a little concerned by its net debt to EBITDA. When we consider the range of factors above, it looks like Yunnan Tin is pretty sensible with its use of debt. While that brings some risk, it can also enhance returns for shareholders. 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. Case in point: We've spotted 1 warning sign for Yunnan Tin you should be aware of.

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.