Gravitas Education Holdings (NYSE:GEHI) Is In A Good Position To Deliver On Growth Plans
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?
Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Gravitas Education Holdings (NYSE:GEHI) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.
View our latest analysis for Gravitas Education Holdings
Does Gravitas Education Holdings Have A Long Cash Runway?
A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. When Gravitas Education Holdings last reported its balance sheet in June 2023, it had zero debt and cash worth US$20m. Importantly, its cash burn was US$2.2m over the trailing twelve months. That means it had a cash runway of about 9.1 years as of June 2023. 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.
Is Gravitas Education Holdings' Revenue Growing?
Given that Gravitas Education Holdings actually had positive free cash flow last year, before burning cash this year, we'll focus on its operating revenue to get a measure of the business trajectory. The grim reality for shareholders is that operating revenue fell by 69% over the last twelve months, which is not what we want to see in a cash burning company. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. You can take a look at how Gravitas Education Holdings has developed its business over time by checking this visualization of its revenue and earnings history.
How Easily Can Gravitas Education Holdings Raise Cash?
Since its revenue growth is moving in the wrong direction, Gravitas Education Holdings shareholders may wish to think ahead to when the company may need to raise more cash. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.
Gravitas Education Holdings' cash burn of US$2.2m is about 11% of its US$20m market capitalisation. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.
How Risky Is Gravitas Education Holdings' Cash Burn Situation?
It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Gravitas Education Holdings is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Although we do find its falling revenue to be a bit of a negative, once we consider the other metrics mentioned in this article together, the overall picture is one we are comfortable with. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. On another note, Gravitas Education Holdings has 2 warning signs (and 1 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about.
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)
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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.
