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Does Altair Engineering (NASDAQ:ALTR) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?

Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital. So it seems the smart money knows that debt - which is usually involved in bankruptcies - is a very important factor, when you assess how risky a company is. Importantly, Altair Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ:ALTR) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

When Is Debt Dangerous?

Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. However, a more common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. Of course, debt can be an important tool in businesses, particularly capital heavy businesses. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

Check out our latest analysis for Altair Engineering

What Is Altair Engineering's Debt?

As you can see below, at the end of December 2019, Altair Engineering had US$177.5m of debt, up from US$30.9m a year ago. Click the image for more detail. But it also has US$223.1m in cash to offset that, meaning it has US$45.6m net cash.

NasdaqGS:ALTR Historical Debt April 4th 2020
NasdaqGS:ALTR Historical Debt April 4th 2020

How Healthy Is Altair Engineering's Balance Sheet?

The latest balance sheet data shows that Altair Engineering had liabilities of US$152.9m due within a year, and liabilities of US$235.6m falling due after that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$223.1m and US$114.9m worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling US$50.4m more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Since publicly traded Altair Engineering shares are worth a total of US$1.70b, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. However, we do think it is worth keeping an eye on its balance sheet strength, as it may change over time. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Altair Engineering boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

Importantly, Altair Engineering's EBIT fell a jaw-dropping 56% in the last twelve months. 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 Altair Engineering's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. 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. Altair Engineering 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 last two years, Altair Engineering actually produced more free cash flow than EBIT. That sort of strong cash generation warms our hearts like a puppy in a bumblebee suit.

Summing up

While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Altair Engineering has US$45.6m in net cash. And it impressed us with free cash flow of US$21m, being 178% of its EBIT. So we don't have any problem with Altair Engineering's use of debt. 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. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Altair Engineering that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.