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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.' 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 Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) does use debt in its business. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
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. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. 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. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. When we examine debt levels, we first consider both cash and debt levels, together.
See our latest analysis for Salesforce
What Is Salesforce's Debt?
As you can see below, Salesforce had US$9.60b of debt at April 2023, down from US$10.6b a year prior. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$14.0b in cash, so it actually has US$4.38b net cash.
A Look At Salesforce's Liabilities
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Salesforce had liabilities of US$21.6b falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$14.5b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of US$14.0b and US$4.63b worth of receivables due within a year. So it has liabilities totalling US$17.5b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.
Since publicly traded Salesforce shares are worth a very impressive total of US$209.7b, it seems unlikely that this level of liabilities would be a major threat. Having said that, it's clear that we should continue to monitor its balance sheet, lest it change for the worse. Despite its noteworthy liabilities, Salesforce boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
Even more impressive was the fact that Salesforce grew its EBIT by 1,005% over twelve months. That boost will make it even easier to pay down debt going forward. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Salesforce 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.