Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously said that 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' 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, Huawen Media Group (SZSE:000793) does carry debt. 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. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. 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 Huawen Media Group's Net Debt?

As you can see below, Huawen Media Group had CN¥1.49b of debt at September 2024, down from CN¥2.04b a year prior. However, because it has a cash reserve of CN¥233.5m, its net debt is less, at about CN¥1.25b.

How Strong Is Huawen Media Group's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Huawen Media Group had liabilities of CN¥1.08b due within a year, and liabilities of CN¥913.2m falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had CN¥233.5m in cash and CN¥641.1m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling CN¥1.12b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Since publicly traded Huawen Media Group shares are worth a total of CN¥7.55b, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is Huawen Media Group's earnings that will influence how the balance sheet holds up in the future. So if you're keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend.

In the last year Huawen Media Group had a loss before interest and tax, and actually shrunk its revenue by 14%, to CN¥387m. That's not what we would hope to see.

Caveat Emptor

Not only did Huawen Media Group's revenue slip over the last twelve months, but it also produced negative earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). To be specific the EBIT loss came in at CN¥67m. Considering that alongside the liabilities mentioned above does not give us much confidence that company should be using so much 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¥2.9m of cash over the last year. So suffice it to say we do consider the stock to be risky. 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. We've identified 1 warning sign with Huawen Media Group , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.