Yahoo Finance Is Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) Using Too Much Debt?
Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We can see that Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt A Problem?
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 step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for Uber Technologies
What Is Uber Technologies's Debt?
The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Uber Technologies had US$9.45b in debt in September 2022; about the same as the year before. However, it also had US$4.87b in cash, and so its net debt is US$4.59b.
A Look At Uber Technologies' Liabilities
The latest balance sheet data shows that Uber Technologies had liabilities of US$9.02b due within a year, and liabilities of US$14.7b falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$4.87b and US$3.09b worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total US$15.8b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.
Uber Technologies has a very large market capitalization of US$60.9b, 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 ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Uber Technologies 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.
In the last year Uber Technologies wasn't profitable at an EBIT level, but managed to grow its revenue by 96%, to US$29b. With any luck the company will be able to grow its way to profitability.
Caveat Emptor
Even though Uber Technologies managed to grow its top line quite deftly, the cold hard truth is that it is losing money on the EBIT line. Indeed, it lost US$2.2b 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. Quite frankly we think the balance sheet is far from match-fit, although it could be improved with time. For example, we would not want to see a repeat of last year's loss of US$8.8b. So we do think this stock is quite risky. 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. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Uber Technologies that you should be aware of.
If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.
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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.
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