We Think Phoslock Environmental Technologies (ASX:PET) Needs To Drive Business Growth Carefully
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. 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 Phoslock Environmental Technologies (ASX:PET) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.
See our latest analysis for Phoslock Environmental Technologies
When Might Phoslock Environmental Technologies Run Out Of Money?
A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. When Phoslock Environmental Technologies last reported its balance sheet in June 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$18m. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$7.9m over the trailing twelve months. So it had a cash runway of about 2.2 years from June 2022. That's decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.
How Well Is Phoslock Environmental Technologies Growing?
In the last twelve months, Phoslock Environmental Technologies kept its cash burn steady. Similarly, operating revenue remained fairly constant, which is hardly inspiring. Considering both these factors, we're not particularly excited by its growth profile. Of course, we've only taken a quick look at the stock's growth metrics, here. This graph of historic earnings and revenue shows how Phoslock Environmental Technologies is building its business over time.
How Easily Can Phoslock Environmental Technologies Raise Cash?
Phoslock Environmental Technologies seems to be in a fairly good position, in terms of cash burn, but we still think it's worthwhile considering how easily it could raise more money if it wanted to. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. 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.
Phoslock Environmental Technologies' cash burn of AU$7.9m is about 21% of its AU$37m market capitalisation. That's fairly notable cash burn, so if the company had to sell shares to cover the cost of another year's operations, shareholders would suffer some costly dilution.
So, Should We Worry About Phoslock Environmental Technologies' Cash Burn?
On this analysis of Phoslock Environmental Technologies' cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its cash burn relative to its market cap has us a bit worried. While we're the kind of investors who are always a bit concerned about the risks involved with cash burning companies, the metrics we have discussed in this article leave us relatively comfortable about Phoslock Environmental Technologies' situation. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 4 warning signs for Phoslock Environmental Technologies (of which 2 are significant!) 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.
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