Here's Why SK oceanplantLtd (KRX:100090) Is Weighed Down By Its Debt Load

David Iben put it well when he said, 'Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital.' 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 SK oceanplant Co.,Ltd (KRX:100090) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?

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What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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. 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, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

What Is SK oceanplantLtd's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at December 2024 SK oceanplantLtd had debt of ₩211.3b, up from ₩192.1b in one year. However, it does have ₩101.6b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about ₩109.8b.

A Look At SK oceanplantLtd's Liabilities

According to the last reported balance sheet, SK oceanplantLtd had liabilities of ₩618.8b due within 12 months, and liabilities of ₩89.6b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of ₩101.6b as well as receivables valued at ₩23.9b due within 12 months. So its liabilities total ₩583.0b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

This is a mountain of leverage relative to its market capitalization of ₩824.6b. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.

View our latest analysis for SK oceanplantLtd

We measure a company's debt load relative to its earnings power by looking at its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and by calculating how easily its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) cover its interest expense (interest cover). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).

SK oceanplantLtd's net debt is sitting at a very reasonable 1.5 times its EBITDA, while its EBIT covered its interest expense just 2.5 times last year. While these numbers do not alarm us, it's worth noting that the cost of the company's debt is having a real impact. Shareholders should be aware that SK oceanplantLtd's EBIT was down 45% last year. If that earnings trend continues then paying off its debt will be about as easy as herding cats on to a roller coaster. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine SK oceanplantLtd's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So it's worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. Over the last three years, SK oceanplantLtd saw substantial negative free cash flow, in total. While investors are no doubt expecting a reversal of that situation in due course, it clearly does mean its use of debt is more risky.

Our View

On the face of it, SK oceanplantLtd's conversion of EBIT to free cash flow left us tentative about the stock, and its EBIT growth rate was no more enticing than the one empty restaurant on the busiest night of the year. But on the bright side, its net debt to EBITDA is a good sign, and makes us more optimistic. We're quite clear that we consider SK oceanplantLtd to be really rather risky, as a result of its balance sheet health. For this reason we're pretty cautious about the stock, and we think shareholders should keep a close eye on its liquidity. 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. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for SK oceanplantLtd that you should be aware of.

If you're interested in investing in businesses that can grow profits without the burden of debt, then check out this free list of growing businesses that have net cash on the balance sheet.

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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.