Warren Buffett famously said, '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. Importantly, Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) does carry debt. But the real question is whether this debt is making the company risky.

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. If things get really bad, the lenders can take control of the business. 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. When we think about a company's use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for Ciena

How Much Debt Does Ciena Carry?

The chart below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that Ciena had US$699.5m in debt in July 2021; about the same as the year before. But it also has US$1.41b in cash to offset that, meaning it has US$713.0m net cash.

How Strong Is Ciena's Balance Sheet?

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that Ciena had liabilities of US$827.1m due within 12 months and liabilities of US$904.5m due beyond that. Offsetting this, it had US$1.41b in cash and US$996.1m in receivables that were due within 12 months. So it can boast US$676.9m more liquid assets than total liabilities.

This short term liquidity is a sign that Ciena could probably pay off its debt with ease, as its balance sheet is far from stretched. Succinctly put, Ciena boasts net cash, so it's fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!

But the bad news is that Ciena has seen its EBIT plunge 13% in the last twelve months. We think hat kind of performance, if repeated frequently, could well lead to difficulties for the stock. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Ciena 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.

But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While Ciena has net cash on its balance sheet, it's still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. During the last three years, Ciena produced sturdy free cash flow equating to 78% of its EBIT, about what we'd expect. This free cash flow puts the company in a good position to pay down debt, when appropriate.

Summing up

While we empathize with investors who find debt concerning, you should keep in mind that Ciena has net cash of US$713.0m, as well as more liquid assets than liabilities. The cherry on top was that in converted 78% of that EBIT to free cash flow, bringing in US$385m. So we don't think Ciena's use of debt is risky. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet - far from it. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Ciena that you should be aware of before investing here.

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

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.

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