Yahoo Finance Companies Like Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) Are In A Position To Invest In Growth
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 108%. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.
Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Prescient Therapeutics shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.
View our latest analysis for Prescient Therapeutics
Does Prescient Therapeutics Have A Long Cash Runway?
A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. In December 2020, Prescient Therapeutics had AU$18m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$3.5m. So it had a cash runway of about 5.3 years from December 2020. While this is only one measure of its cash burn situation, it certainly gives us the impression that holders have nothing to worry about. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.
How Is Prescient Therapeutics' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?
Although Prescient Therapeutics reported revenue of AU$1.1m last year, it didn't actually have any revenue from operations. That means we consider it a pre-revenue business, and we will focus our growth analysis on cash burn, for now. With the cash burn rate up 39% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Prescient Therapeutics due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.
How Hard Would It Be For Prescient Therapeutics To Raise More Cash For Growth?
Given its cash burn trajectory, Prescient Therapeutics shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).
Prescient Therapeutics' cash burn of AU$3.5m is about 5.2% of its AU$67m market capitalisation. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.
Is Prescient Therapeutics' Cash Burn A Worry?
As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Prescient Therapeutics' cash burn. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Although its increasing cash burn does give us reason for pause, the other metrics we discussed in this article form a positive picture overall. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn; the company seems well on top of its medium-term spending needs. Taking a deeper dive, we've spotted 5 warning signs for Prescient Therapeutics you should be aware of, and 3 of them are significant.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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