Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of permanent loss is the risk I worry about... and every practical investor I know worries about.' 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. Importantly, Goodbaby International Holdings Limited (HKG:1086) does carry debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit.

When Is Debt A Problem?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. 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.

What Is Goodbaby International Holdings's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Goodbaby International Holdings had debt of HK$1.46b at the end of December 2024, a reduction from HK$2.79b over a year. However, because it has a cash reserve of HK$1.10b, its net debt is less, at about HK$355.7m.

How Healthy Is Goodbaby International Holdings' Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Goodbaby International Holdings had liabilities of HK$3.21b due within 12 months and liabilities of HK$1.38b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had HK$1.10b in cash and HK$1.08b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities total HK$2.40b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

Given this deficit is actually higher than the company's market capitalization of HK$1.75b, we think shareholders really should watch Goodbaby International Holdings's debt levels, like a parent watching their child ride a bike for the first time. In the scenario where the company had to clean up its balance sheet quickly, it seems likely shareholders would suffer extensive dilution.

View our latest analysis for Goodbaby International Holdings

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.

Looking at its net debt to EBITDA of 0.44 and interest cover of 3.8 times, it seems to us that Goodbaby International Holdings is probably using debt in a pretty reasonable way. But the interest payments are certainly sufficient to have us thinking about how affordable its debt is. Notably, Goodbaby International Holdings's EBIT launched higher than Elon Musk, gaining a whopping 102% on last year. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Goodbaby International Holdings 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. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Over the last two years, Goodbaby International Holdings actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. There's nothing better than incoming cash when it comes to staying in your lenders' good graces.

Our View

Goodbaby International Holdings's conversion of EBIT to free cash flow was a real positive on this analysis, as was its EBIT growth rate. But truth be told its level of total liabilities had us nibbling our nails. Considering this range of data points, we think Goodbaby International Holdings is in a good position to manage its debt levels. Having said that, the load is sufficiently heavy that we would recommend any shareholders keep a close eye on it. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. Be aware that Goodbaby International Holdings 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.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.