Northwest Pipe Corporate Bonds and Leverage Analysis

NWPX Stock  USD 56.29  1.08  1.96%   
Northwest Pipe holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.625. At this time, Northwest Pipe's Net Debt is fairly stable compared to the past year. Long Term Debt Total is likely to rise to about 79.1 M in 2024, whereas Short and Long Term Debt Total is likely to drop slightly above 81.7 M in 2024. With a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce Northwest Pipe's Earnings Per Share (EPS).

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

Northwest Pipe'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. Northwest Pipe'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 Northwest Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect Northwest Pipe's stakeholders.
For most companies, including Northwest Pipe, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for Northwest Pipe, the most critical issue when managing liquidity is ensuring that current assets are properly aligned with current liabilities. If they are not, Northwest Pipe'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
1.5408
Book Value
36.533
Operating Margin
0.1186
Profit Margin
0.0612
Return On Assets
0.0481
Total Current Liabilities is likely to drop to about 56.7 M in 2024. Liabilities And Stockholders Equity is likely to drop to about 361.2 M in 2024
  
Check out the analysis of Northwest Pipe Fundamentals Over Time.
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View Bond Profile
Given the importance of Northwest Pipe's capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of Northwest Pipe 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 Northwest Pipe to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.

Northwest Pipe Bond Ratings

Northwest Pipe financial ratings play a critical role in determining how much Northwest Pipe 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 Northwest Pipe's borrowing costs.
Piotroski F Score
7
StrongView
Beneish M Score
(3.45)
Unlikely ManipulatorView

Northwest Pipe Debt to Cash Allocation

As Northwest Pipe follows its natural business cycle, the capital allocation decisions will not magically go away. Northwest Pipe's decision-makers have to determine if most of the cash flows will be poured back into or reinvested in the business, reserved for other projects beyond operational needs, or paid back to stakeholders and investors.
Northwest Pipe currently holds 162.94 M in liabilities with Debt to Equity (D/E) ratio of 0.63, which is about average as compared to similar companies. Northwest Pipe has a current ratio of 2.88, suggesting that it is liquid enough and is able to pay its financial obligations when due. Note, when we think about Northwest Pipe's use of debt, we should always consider it together with its cash and equity.

Northwest Pipe Total Assets Over Time

Northwest Pipe Assets Financed by Debt

The debt-to-assets ratio shows the degree to which Northwest Pipe 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.

Northwest Pipe Debt Ratio

    
  10.0   
It appears most of the Northwest Pipe'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 Northwest Pipe's operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of Northwest Pipe, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility.

Northwest Pipe Corporate Bonds Issued

Northwest Short Long Term Debt Total

Short Long Term Debt Total

81.67 Million

At this time, Northwest Pipe's Short and Long Term Debt Total is fairly stable compared to the past year.

Understaning Northwest Pipe Use of Financial Leverage

Understanding the structure of Northwest Pipe's debt obligations provides insight if it is worth investing in it. Financial leverage can amplify the potential profits to Northwest Pipe's owners, but it also increases the potential losses and risk of financial distress, including bankruptcy, if the firm cannot cover its cost of debt.
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Short and Long Term Debt Total162.9 M81.7 M
Net Debt158.9 M166.8 M
Short Term Debt15.7 M9.7 M
Long Term Debt54.5 M46.8 M
Long Term Debt Total75.3 M79.1 M
Short and Long Term Debt9.7 M9.2 M
Net Debt To EBITDA 3.20  4.18 
Debt To Equity 0.19  0.18 
Interest Debt Per Share 7.02  11.30 
Debt To Assets 0.11  0.10 
Long Term Debt To Capitalization 0.14  0.13 
Total Debt To Capitalization 0.16  0.32 
Debt Equity Ratio 0.19  0.18 
Debt Ratio 0.11  0.10 
Cash Flow To Debt Ratio 0.82  0.78 
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Additional Tools for Northwest Stock Analysis

When running Northwest Pipe's price analysis, check to measure Northwest Pipe's market volatility, profitability, liquidity, solvency, efficiency, growth potential, financial leverage, and other vital indicators. We have many different tools that can be utilized to determine how healthy Northwest Pipe is operating at the current time. Most of Northwest Pipe's value examination focuses on studying past and present price action to predict the probability of Northwest Pipe's future price movements. You can analyze the entity against its peers and the financial market as a whole to determine factors that move Northwest Pipe's price. Additionally, you may evaluate how the addition of Northwest Pipe to your portfolios can decrease your overall portfolio volatility.

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.