Poor 2018 results & way too much debt

I'd appreciate some others view of this stock NVT. I've just read about how it's a good performing stock on another forum, and then read the 2018 financials. The results are woeful & the debt / equity position is simply out of control (10x). The sole asset against this debt are intangibles (purchased goodwill), and the bulk of the expenses are either directors fees or admin expenses (not actual education expenses).
How did other better performed companies get belted in the reporting season, and NVT has largely held.