Yahoo Finance Here's Why We're A Bit Worried About Catalyst Biosciences' (NASDAQ:CBIO) Cash Burn Situation
We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. 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. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.
So should Catalyst Biosciences (NASDAQ:CBIO) shareholders 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.
Check out our latest analysis for Catalyst Biosciences
How Long Is Catalyst Biosciences' Cash Runway?
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. As at June 2021, Catalyst Biosciences had cash of US$87m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through US$80m. That means it had a cash runway of around 13 months as of June 2021. Notably, analysts forecast that Catalyst Biosciences will break even (at a free cash flow level) in about 4 years. Essentially, that means the company will either reduce its cash burn, or else require more cash. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.
How Well Is Catalyst Biosciences Growing?
Notably, Catalyst Biosciences actually ramped up its cash burn very hard and fast in the last year, by 116%, signifying heavy investment in the business. And that is all the more of a concern in light of the fact that operating revenue was actually down by 69% in the last year, as the company no doubt scrambles to change its fortunes. Considering these two factors together makes us nervous about the direction the company seems to be heading. 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.
Can Catalyst Biosciences Raise More Cash Easily?
Since Catalyst Biosciences can't yet boast improving growth metrics, the market will likely be considering how it can raise more cash if need be. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. 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 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).
Catalyst Biosciences' cash burn of US$80m is about 51% of its US$157m market capitalisation. From this perspective, it seems that the company spent a huge amount relative to its market value, and we'd be very wary of a painful capital raising.
So, Should We Worry About Catalyst Biosciences' Cash Burn?
On this analysis of Catalyst Biosciences' cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its falling revenue has us a bit worried. Shareholders can take heart from the fact that analysts are forecasting it will reach breakeven. After looking at that range of measures, we think shareholders should be extremely attentive to how the company is using its cash, as the cash burn makes us uncomfortable. Taking an in-depth view of risks, we've identified 2 warning signs for Catalyst Biosciences that you should be aware of before investing.
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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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