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華爾街日報Hypera (BVMF:HYPE3) Takes On Some Risk With Its Use Of Debt
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.' 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. As with many other companies Hypera S.A. (BVMF:HYPE3) makes use of debt. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Ultimately, if the company can't fulfill its legal obligations to repay debt, shareholders could walk away with nothing. 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. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.
What Is Hypera's Net Debt?
The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Hypera had debt of R$9.16b at the end of September 2025, a reduction from R$10.3b over a year. On the flip side, it has R$1.86b in cash leading to net debt of about R$7.29b.
How Strong Is Hypera's Balance Sheet?
The latest balance sheet data shows that Hypera had liabilities of R$4.96b due within a year, and liabilities of R$7.94b falling due after that. Offsetting this, it had R$1.86b in cash and R$2.04b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by R$8.99b.
This deficit is considerable relative to its market capitalization of R$14.8b, so it does suggest shareholders should keep an eye on Hypera's use of debt. Should its lenders demand that it shore up the balance sheet, shareholders would likely face severe dilution.
View our latest analysis for Hypera
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.
Weak interest cover of 1.6 times and a disturbingly high net debt to EBITDA ratio of 5.3 hit our confidence in Hypera like a one-two punch to the gut. The debt burden here is substantial. Even worse, Hypera saw its EBIT tank 44% over the last 12 months. If earnings continue to follow that trajectory, paying off that debt load will be harder than convincing us to run a marathon in the rain. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine Hypera'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.
But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. So we always check how much of that EBIT is translated into free cash flow. Over the most recent three years, Hypera recorded free cash flow worth 80% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate.
Our View
On the face of it, Hypera's interest cover 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 at least it's pretty decent at converting EBIT to free cash flow; that's encouraging. Looking at the balance sheet and taking into account all these factors, we do believe that debt is making Hypera stock a bit risky. Some people like that sort of risk, but we're mindful of the potential pitfalls, so we'd probably prefer it carry less debt. There's no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that Hypera is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...
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.
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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.