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. We can see that DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (SGX:D01) does use debt in its business. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

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Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Debt assists a business until the business has trouble paying it off, either with new capital or with free cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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 thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.

What Is DFI Retail Group Holdings's Debt?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that DFI Retail Group Holdings had debt of US$741.4m at the end of December 2024, a reduction from US$924.1m over a year. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$273.8m, its net debt is less, at about US$467.6m.

SGX:D01 Debt to Equity History April 9th 2025

How Healthy Is DFI Retail Group Holdings' Balance Sheet?

According to the last reported balance sheet, DFI Retail Group Holdings had liabilities of US$4.09b due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$2.59b due beyond 12 months. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of US$273.8m as well as receivables valued at US$236.0m due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$6.17b.

The deficiency here weighs heavily on the US$2.91b company itself, as if a child were struggling under the weight of an enormous back-pack full of books, his sports gear, and a trumpet. So we'd watch its balance sheet closely, without a doubt. After all, DFI Retail Group Holdings would likely require a major re-capitalisation if it had to pay its creditors today.

See our latest analysis for DFI Retail Group Holdings

In order to size up a company's debt relative to its earnings, we calculate its net debt divided by its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and its earnings before interest and tax $(EBIT)$ divided by its interest expense (its interest cover). This way, we consider both the absolute quantum of the debt, as well as the interest rates paid on it.

Given net debt is only 0.41 times EBITDA, it is initially surprising to see that DFI Retail Group Holdings's EBIT has low interest coverage of 2.1 times. So while we're not necessarily alarmed we think that its debt is far from trivial. It is well worth noting that DFI Retail Group Holdings's EBIT shot up like bamboo after rain, gaining 87% in the last twelve months. That'll make it easier to manage its debt. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if DFI Retail Group Holdings can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

Finally, a business needs free cash flow to pay off debt; accounting profits just don't cut it. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Over the last three years, DFI Retail Group 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

DFI Retail Group Holdings's level of total liabilities was a real negative on this analysis, as was its interest cover. But like a ballerina ending on a perfect pirouette, it has not trouble converting EBIT to free cash flow. When we consider all the factors mentioned above, we do feel a bit cautious about DFI Retail Group Holdings's use of debt. While debt does have its upside in higher potential returns, we think shareholders should definitely consider how debt levels might make the stock more risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that DFI Retail Group Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those is a bit concerning...

When all is said and done, sometimes its easier to focus on companies that don't even need debt. Readers can access a list of growth stocks with zero net debt 100% free, right now.

DFI Retail Group jumps 4.76% at 1:57 pm, Apr 10th.