This post will cover and discuss Red Robins' use of debt, and how they finance their debt. Furthermore, understanding how Red Robin uses leverage, a ratio that compares the companys' debt levels to the companys' equity. In addition to analyzing Red Robin, this post will compare Red Robin's debt to the debt of three competitors using Altman Z-scores to asses the degree to which the company could go bankrupt. With this framework in mind of understanding Red Robin's debt, types of debt, use of leverage, and overall financial risk can provide clarity in analyzing the company's past five year performance.
Debt Analysis
One important ratio to consider is debt to equity, the proportion of debt compared to equity. Over the past five years, this ratio has increased from 1.33, 2.07, 2.88, 3.17, and 9.42 in 2022. These high values suggest that Red Robin carries financial risk with dwindling equity and increasing amounts of debt. Another important ratio is debt to asset which uncovers the amount of assets that are being backed by debt. Similar to debt to equity, this ratio increased year over year since 2018 with a debt to asset ratio of 0.99 in 2022. In other words, almost 100% of Red Robin's assets were being backed by debt which implies a severe level of risk. Lastly, another crucial ratio to consider is interest coverage ratio. This ratio illustrates Red Robin's capability to meet interest expenses from operating income. As predicted, Red Robin struggles to cover interest payments from operating income, with values of .13, .01, -.18, -.03, -.03 from 2018-2022. Ultimately. these values raise concern regarding the company's overall financial stability, through their ability to meet debt obligations. All in all, these three ratios make it appaerent that Red Robin struggles to mantain financially safe, and uncover a bountiful amount of risk within the company's overall financials.
Competitors
Compared to its peer group, RRGB lags in the majority of ratios as compared to its competitors. Beginning with working capital to total assets, RRGB ranks last amongst its peers with a five year average -0.06. This value can be attributed to a negative working capital over the past five years, along with a decrease in total assets. Moving onto retained earnings to total assets, RRGB's five year average of 0.16 ranked third amongst its peers. Although the value is somewhat within the peer group, the discrepancy can be explained through a steadily decreased retained earnings over the past five years. Next, EBIT to total assets, RRGB ranks last with a five year average of -0.03, due to a decreasing operating income. In terms of MV of equity to total liabilities, RRGB also ranks last in its peer group with a five year average of 0.40. This is largely due to the company's decreasing equity over the past five years. Lastly, sales to total assets, Red Robin ranks first with a five year average of 1.26. This is a healthy sign for Red Robin, signaling that the company is able to generate stable revenue as compared to its assets. Ultimately, these ratios illustrate Red Robin's lack of financial efficiency, indicating a high level of bankruptcy risk for the short term.
Altman Z-Score
Altman Z-Score is a metric aimed at assessing a company's financial health along with bankruptcy risk. A score less than or equal to 1.8 is considered to be in the distress zone, 1.8-3.0 is the grey zone, and 3.0-4.0 is the safe zone. In 2018 Red Robin posted its best score of 2.66, then declined to 1.72, 0.73, 1.33, and 1.35 in 2022. Ultimately, the company was considered to be in the distress zone in four most recent years. Being in the distress zone means that Red Robin is considered to be in financial distress, and a high risk of bankruptcy in the short term. Compared to its competitors, DIN was in the distress zone the past five years, CHUY was in the grey zone twice and the safe zone three times, and JACK was in the grey zone three times and the safe zone twice. Ultimately, Red Robin has been in the distress zone for the past four years, and while the company has been able to improve its score since the pandemic, given the company has stayed within this zone for four consecutive years is a red flag.
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