Increasing debt increases the leverage factor and improves ROE....

Increasing debt increases the leverage factor and improves ROE. With low debt CTD's ROE is pretty good. According to Simply Wall Street last years ROE was 16%. They like 20% for high growth companies but you can't have everything as its not 'juiced up' by high debt. They expect ROE in 3 years to be 20.4% which is a pass for them (for high growth companies).
As the business becomes larger very big $$ increases are needed to maintain and improve the % previously obtained to be classed as the high growth business it was when it was a tiddler.
So for a business of its now large size its still achieving very good growth.
Those AFR articles have shaken the faith of many. I am worried myself. If you feel you must sell after reading the articles send an email to the AFR letting them know you are selling on the basis of the content of those articles. If by some chance (maybe very slim based on those articles) over the next few years CTD flies you (and others) at least have left the door open for possible action against the author and the AFR.