Yahoo Finance Here's Why Barrick Gold (TSE:ABX) Can Manage Its Debt Responsibly
Warren Buffett famously said, '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. We note that Barrick Gold Corporation (TSE:ABX) does have debt on its balance sheet. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt A Problem?
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. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
See our latest analysis for Barrick Gold
What Is Barrick Gold's Debt?
The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Barrick Gold had US$5.08b in debt in March 2022; about the same as the year before. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$5.89b in cash, so it actually has US$804.0m net cash.
A Look At Barrick Gold's Liabilities
According to the last reported balance sheet, Barrick Gold had liabilities of US$2.25b due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$12.4b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$5.89b as well as receivables valued at US$640.0m due within 12 months. So its liabilities total US$8.15b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.
While this might seem like a lot, it is not so bad since Barrick Gold has a huge market capitalization of US$36.3b, and so it could probably strengthen its balance sheet by raising capital if it needed to. But we definitely want to keep our eyes open to indications that its debt is bringing too much risk. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Barrick Gold boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
It is just as well that Barrick Gold's load is not too heavy, because its EBIT was down 22% over the last year. Falling earnings (if the trend continues) could eventually make even modest debt quite risky. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Barrick Gold 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 company can only pay off debt with cold hard cash, not accounting profits. Barrick Gold may have net cash on the balance sheet, but it is still interesting to look at how well the business converts its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, because that will influence both its need for, and its capacity to manage debt. Over the most recent three years, Barrick Gold recorded free cash flow worth 53% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.
Summing up
Although Barrick Gold's balance sheet isn't particularly strong, due to the total liabilities, it is clearly positive to see that it has net cash of US$804.0m. So we don't have any problem with Barrick Gold's use of debt. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. We've identified 2 warning signs with Barrick Gold (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , 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.
