We Think CBD Global Sciences (CNSX:CBDN) Needs To Drive Business Growth Carefully
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, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.
So, the natural question for CBD Global Sciences (CNSX:CBDN) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. 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.
See our latest analysis for CBD Global Sciences
When Might CBD Global Sciences Run Out Of Money?
A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at July 2019, CBD Global Sciences had cash of CA$63k and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through CA$154k. So it had a cash runway of approximately 5 months from July 2019. That's a very short cash runway which indicates an imminent need to douse the cash burn or find more funding. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.
How Hard Would It Be For CBD Global Sciences To Raise More Cash For Growth?
Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. 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.
Since it has a market capitalisation of CA$14m, CBD Global Sciences's CA$154k in cash burn equates to about 1.1% of its market value. So it could almost certainly just borrow a little to fund another year's growth, or else easily raise the cash by issuing a few shares.
Is CBD Global Sciences's Cash Burn A Worry?
Because CBD Global Sciences is an early stage company, we don't have a great deal of data on which to form an opinion of its cash burn. However, it is fair to say that its cash burn relative to its market cap gave us comfort. For us, the key takeaway here is that its cash burn is worth monitoring closely because it may have to raise more capital in due course. For us, it's always important to consider risks around cash burn rates. But investors should look at a whole range of factors when researching a new stock. For example, it could be interesting to see how much the CBD Global Sciences CEO receives in total remuneration.
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)
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
