Yahoo Finance We're Interested To See How Rent.com.au (ASX:RNT) Uses Its Cash Hoard To Grow
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.
So should Rent.com.au (ASX:RNT) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.
Check out our latest analysis for Rent.com.au
When Might Rent.com.au Run Out Of Money?
A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. When Rent.com.au last reported its balance sheet in June 2021, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$2.9m. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$1.7m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 20 months from June 2021. Notably, however, the one analyst we see covering the stock thinks that Rent.com.au will break even (at a free cash flow level) before then. In that case, it may never reach the end of its cash runway. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.
How Well Is Rent.com.au Growing?
Some investors might find it troubling that Rent.com.au is actually increasing its cash burn, which is up 39% in the last year. The silver lining is that revenue was up 26%, showing the business is growing at the top line. On balance, we'd say the company is improving over time. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.
How Easily Can Rent.com.au Raise Cash?
Even though it seems like Rent.com.au is developing its business nicely, we still like to consider how easily it could raise more money to accelerate growth. 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 looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.
Rent.com.au's cash burn of AU$1.7m is about 6.1% of its AU$28m 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.
So, Should We Worry About Rent.com.au's Cash Burn?
It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Rent.com.au is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap suggests that the company is on a good path. While its increasing cash burn wasn't great, the other factors mentioned in this article more than make up for weakness on that measure. It's clearly very positive to see that at least one analyst is forecasting the company will break even fairly soon. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn, which seems to be under control. Taking an in-depth view of risks, we've identified 4 warning signs for Rent.com.au that you should be aware of before investing.
Of course Rent.com.au may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. 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.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
