Here's Why We're Not Too Worried About Global Palm Resources Holdings's (SGX:BLW) Cash Burn Situation
Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. 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.
Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Global Palm Resources Holdings (SGX:BLW) shareholders should 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. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.
See our latest analysis for Global Palm Resources Holdings
How Long Is Global Palm Resources Holdings's Cash Runway?
You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. When Global Palm Resources Holdings last reported its balance sheet in September 2019, it had zero debt and cash worth Rp266b. In the last year, its cash burn was Rp28b. That means it had a cash runway of about 9.4 years as of September 2019. While this is only one measure of its cash burn situation, it certainly gives us the impression that holders have nothing to worry about. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.
How Well Is Global Palm Resources Holdings Growing?
Global Palm Resources Holdings managed to reduce its cash burn by 66% over the last twelve months, which suggests it's on the right flight path. But it was a bit disconcerting to see operating revenue down 15% in that time. Considering the factors above, the company doesn’t fare badly when it comes to assessing how it is changing over time. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. This graph of historic earnings and revenue shows how Global Palm Resources Holdings is building its business over time.
How Easily Can Global Palm Resources Holdings Raise Cash?
While Global Palm Resources Holdings seems to be in a decent position, we reckon it is still worth thinking about how easily it could raise more cash, if that proved desirable. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive 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).
Global Palm Resources Holdings's cash burn of Rp28b is about 9.0% of its S$30m 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 Global Palm Resources Holdings's Cash Burn A Worry?
It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Global Palm Resources Holdings is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. While its falling revenue wasn't great, the other factors mentioned in this article more than make up for weakness on that measure. 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. We think it's very important to consider the cash burn for loss making companies, but other considerations such as the amount the CEO is paid can also enhance your understanding of the business. You can click here to see what Global Palm Resources Holdings's CEO gets paid each year.
If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.
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