We're Hopeful That Sareum Holdings (LON:SAR) Will Use Its Cash Wisely
SAR.L
Simply Wall St
27 October 2021, 4:38 am ·3-min read
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, Sareum Holdings (LON:SAR) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 174%. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.
In light of its strong share price run, we think now is a good time to investigate how risky Sareum Holdings' cash burn is. 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Sareum Holdings
When Might Sareum Holdings 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. In June 2021, Sareum Holdings had UK£2.7m in cash, and was debt-free. Importantly, its cash burn was UK£1.6m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from June 2021 it had roughly 21 months of cash runway. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.
debt-equity-history-analysis
How Is Sareum Holdings' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?
Whilst it's great to see that Sareum Holdings has already begun generating revenue from operations, last year it only produced UK£24k, so we don't think it is generating significant revenue, at this point. As a result, we think it's a bit early to focus on the revenue growth, so we'll limit ourselves to looking at how the cash burn is changing over time. During the last twelve months, its cash burn actually ramped up 92%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.
How Easily Can Sareum Holdings Raise Cash?
Given its cash burn trajectory, Sareum Holdings shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. 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. 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.
Sareum Holdings' cash burn of UK£1.6m is about 0.7% of its UK£217m market capitalisation. 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.
So, Should We Worry About Sareum Holdings' Cash Burn?
On this analysis of Sareum Holdings' cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. 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, Sareum Holdings has 5 warning signs (and 2 which don't sit too well with us) we think you should know about.
Of course Sareum Holdings 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.
Labour peer's AI healthcare firm Sensyne says cash is running out
Labour peer's AI healthcare firm Sensyne says cash is running out. Data analytics company run by Paul Drayson says money could run out in weeks unless it finds emergency funding
How has the EasyJet share price responded to the Omicron threat?
The Omicron variant has caused a noticeable correction to the easyJet share price – will this FTSE 250 stock get airborne in 2022? The post How has the EasyJet share price responded to the Omicron threat? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.