While COSCO SHIPPING Ports's debt to EBITDA ratio (4.7) suggests that it uses some debt, its interest cover is very weak, at 2.0, suggesting high leverage. It seems clear that the cost of borrowing money is negatively impacting returns for shareholders, of late. The good news is that COSCO SHIPPING Ports improved its EBIT by 9.7% over the last twelve months, thus gradually reducing its debt levels relative to its earnings. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if COSCO SHIPPING Ports 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.