The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a 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. Importantly, Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) does carry debt. But is this debt a concern to shareholders?

What Risk Does Debt Bring?

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 common (but still painful) scenario is that it has to raise new equity capital at a low price, thus permanently diluting shareholders. 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.

View our latest analysis for Tesla

How Much Debt Does Tesla Carry?

The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at December 2023 Tesla had debt of US$4.66b, up from US$2.05b in one year. However, its balance sheet shows it holds US$29.1b in cash, so it actually has US$24.4b net cash.

A Look At Tesla's Liabilities

We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Tesla had liabilities of US$28.7b falling due within a year, and liabilities of US$14.3b due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$29.1b in cash and US$3.70b in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it has liabilities totalling US$10.2b more than its cash and near-term receivables, combined.

Having regard to Tesla's size, it seems that its liquid assets are well balanced with its total liabilities. So while it's hard to imagine that the US$525.2b company is struggling for cash, we still think it's worth monitoring its balance sheet. While it does have liabilities worth noting, Tesla also has more cash than debt, so we're pretty confident it can manage its debt safely.

The modesty of its debt load may become crucial for Tesla if management cannot prevent a repeat of the 35% cut to EBIT over the last year. Falling earnings (if the trend continues) could eventually make even modest debt quite risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Tesla can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you're focused on the future you can check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. Tesla 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 most recent three years, Tesla recorded free cash flow worth 58% of its EBIT, which is around normal, given free cash flow excludes interest and tax. This cold hard cash means it can reduce its debt when it wants to.

Summing Up

While it is always sensible to look at a company's total liabilities, it is very reassuring that Tesla has US$24.4b in net cash. So we are not troubled with Tesla's debt use. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. We've identified 1 warning sign with Tesla , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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.

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.