Fuel Tech Corporate Bonds and Leverage Analysis

FTEK Stock  USD 1.08  0.02  1.82%   
Fuel Tech holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.005. At this time, Fuel Tech's Long Term Debt is quite stable compared to the past year. Net Debt To EBITDA is expected to rise to 16.11 this year, although the value of Short Term Debt will most likely fall to about 153.9 K. . Fuel Tech's financial risk is the risk to Fuel Tech stockholders that is caused by an increase in debt.

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

Fuel Tech's liquidity is one of the most fundamental aspects of both its future profitability and its ability to meet different types of ongoing financial obligations. Fuel Tech's cash, liquid assets, total liabilities, and shareholder equity can be utilized to evaluate how much leverage the Company is using to sustain its current operations. For traders, higher-leverage indicators usually imply a higher risk to shareholders. In addition, it helps Fuel Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect Fuel Tech's stakeholders.
For most companies, including Fuel Tech, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for Fuel Tech, the most critical issue when managing liquidity is ensuring that current assets are properly aligned with current liabilities. If they are not, Fuel Tech's management will need to obtain alternative financing to ensure there are always enough cash equivalents on the balance sheet to meet obligations.
Price Book
0.7561
Book Value
1.426
Operating Margin
(0.02)
Profit Margin
(0.02)
Return On Assets
(0.04)
At this time, Fuel Tech's Total Current Liabilities is quite stable compared to the past year. Liabilities And Stockholders Equity is expected to rise to about 53.6 M this year, although the value of Non Current Liabilities Total will most likely fall to about 898 K.
  
Check out the analysis of Fuel Tech Fundamentals Over Time.
For more information on how to buy Fuel Stock please use our How to buy in Fuel Stock guide.
View Bond Profile
Given the importance of Fuel Tech's capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of Fuel Tech to decide how much external capital it will need to raise to operate in a sustainable way. Once the amount of financing is determined, management needs to examine the financial markets to determine the terms in which the company can boost capital. This move is crucial to the process because the market environment may reduce the ability of Fuel Tech to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.

Fuel Tech Bond Ratings

Fuel Tech financial ratings play a critical role in determining how much Fuel Tech have to pay to access credit markets, i.e., the amount of interest on their issued debt. The threshold between investment-grade and speculative-grade ratings has important market implications for Fuel Tech's borrowing costs.
Piotroski F Score
5
HealthyView
Beneish M Score
(2.13)
Possible ManipulatorView

Fuel Tech Debt to Cash Allocation

Fuel Tech currently holds 614 K in liabilities with Debt to Equity (D/E) ratio of 0.01, which may suggest the company is not taking enough advantage from borrowing. Fuel Tech has a current ratio of 9.97, suggesting that it is liquid enough and is able to pay its financial obligations when due. Note, when we think about Fuel Tech's use of debt, we should always consider it together with its cash and equity.

Fuel Tech Total Assets Over Time

Fuel Tech Assets Financed by Debt

The debt-to-assets ratio shows the degree to which Fuel Tech uses debt to finance its assets. It includes both long-term and short-term borrowings maturing within one year. It also includes both tangible and intangible assets, such as goodwill.

Fuel Tech Debt Ratio

    
  0.15   
It seems most of the Fuel Tech's assets are financed through equity. Typically, companies with high debt-to-asset ratios are said to be highly leveraged. The higher the ratio, the greater risk will be associated with the Fuel Tech's operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of Fuel Tech, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility.

Fuel Tech Corporate Bonds Issued

Fuel Net Debt

Net Debt

(17.81 Million)

The company's current value of Net Debt is estimated at (17.81 Million)

Understaning Fuel Tech Use of Financial Leverage

Leverage ratios show Fuel Tech's total debt position, including all outstanding obligations. In simple terms, high financial leverage means that the cost of production, along with the day-to-day running of the business, is high. Conversely, lower financial leverage implies lower fixed cost investment in the business, which is generally considered a good sign by investors. The degree of Fuel Tech's financial leverage can be measured in several ways, including ratios such as the debt-to-equity ratio (total debt / total equity), or the debt ratio (total debt / total assets).
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Net Debt-17 M-17.8 M
Short and Long Term Debt Total614 K583.3 K
Short Term Debt162 K153.9 K
Long Term Debt1.4 M1.5 M
Short and Long Term Debt1.5 M1.3 M
Long Term Debt Total1.4 M1.2 M
Net Debt To EBITDA 15.34  16.11 
Long Term Debt To Capitalization 0.07  0.07 
Cash Flow To Debt Ratio 8.59  9.02 
Please read more on our technical analysis page.

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When determining whether Fuel Tech is a good investment, qualitative aspects like company management, corporate governance, and ethical practices play a significant role. A comparison with peer companies also provides context and helps to understand if Fuel Stock is undervalued or overvalued. This multi-faceted approach, blending both quantitative and qualitative analysis, forms a solid foundation for making an informed investment decision about Fuel Tech Stock. Highlighted below are key reports to facilitate an investment decision about Fuel Tech Stock:
Check out the analysis of Fuel Tech Fundamentals Over Time.
For more information on how to buy Fuel Stock please use our How to buy in Fuel Stock guide.
You can also try the Portfolio Rebalancing module to analyze risk-adjusted returns against different time horizons to find asset-allocation targets.
Is Environmental & Facilities Services space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Fuel Tech. If investors know Fuel will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Fuel Tech listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.74)
Earnings Share
(0.02)
Revenue Per Share
0.859
Quarterly Revenue Growth
(0.02)
Return On Assets
(0.04)
The market value of Fuel Tech is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Fuel that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Fuel Tech's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Fuel Tech's true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Fuel Tech's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Fuel Tech's underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between Fuel Tech's value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if Fuel Tech is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Fuel Tech's price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.

What is Financial Leverage?

Financial leverage is the use of borrowed money (debt) to finance the purchase of assets with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the new asset will exceed the cost of borrowing. In most cases, the debt provider will limit how much risk it is ready to take and indicate a limit on the extent of the leverage it will allow. In the case of asset-backed lending, the financial provider uses the assets as collateral until the borrower repays the loan. In the case of a cash flow loan, the general creditworthiness of the company is used to back the loan. The concept of leverage is common in the business world. It is mostly used to boost the returns on equity capital of a company, especially when the business is unable to increase its operating efficiency and returns on total investment. Because earnings on borrowing are higher than the interest payable on debt, the company's total earnings will increase, ultimately boosting stockholders' profits.

Leverage and Capital Costs

The debt to equity ratio plays a role in the working average cost of capital (WACC). The overall interest on debt represents the break-even point that must be obtained to profitability in a given venture. Thus, WACC is essentially the average interest an organization owes on the capital it has borrowed for leverage. Let's say equity represents 60% of borrowed capital, and debt is 40%. This results in a financial leverage calculation of 40/60, or 0.6667. The organization owes 10% on all equity and 5% on all debt. That means that the weighted average cost of capital is (.4)(5) + (.6)(10) - or 8%. For every $10,000 borrowed, this organization will owe $800 in interest. Profit must be higher than 8% on the project to offset the cost of interest and justify this leverage.

Benefits of Financial Leverage

Leverage provides the following benefits for companies:
  • Leverage is an essential tool a company's management can use to make the best financing and investment decisions.
  • It provides a variety of financing sources by which the firm can achieve its target earnings.
  • Leverage is also an essential technique in investing as it helps companies set a threshold for the expansion of business operations. For example, it can be used to recommend restrictions on business expansion once the projected return on additional investment is lower than the cost of debt.
By borrowing funds, the firm incurs a debt that must be paid. But, this debt is paid in small installments over a relatively long period of time. This frees funds for more immediate use in the stock market. For example, suppose a company can afford a new factory but will be left with negligible free cash. In that case, it may be better to finance the factory and spend the cash on hand on inputs, labor, or even hold a significant portion as a reserve against unforeseen circumstances.

The Risk of Financial Leverage

The most obvious and apparent risk of leverage is that if price changes unexpectedly, the leveraged position can lead to severe losses. For example, imagine a hedge fund seeded by $50 worth of investor money. The hedge fund borrows another $50 and buys an asset worth $100, leading to a leverage ratio of 2:1. For the investor, this is neither good nor bad -- until the asset price changes. If the asset price goes up 10 percent, the investor earns $10 on $50 of capital, a net gain of 20 percent, and is very pleased with the increased gains from the leverage. However, if the asset price crashes unexpectedly, say by 30 percent, the investor loses $30 on $50 of capital, suffering a 60 percent loss. In other words, the effect of leverage is to increase the volatility of returns and increase the effects of a price change on the asset to the bottom line while increasing the chance for profit as well.