We Think Genetic Signatures (ASX:GSS) Can Afford To Drive Business Growth

There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. 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. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

So, the natural question for Genetic Signatures (ASX:GSS) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; its negative free cash flow. The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.

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Does Genetic Signatures Have A Long Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. When Genetic Signatures last reported its December 2024 balance sheet in February 2025, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$41m. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$13m. So it had a cash runway of about 3.2 years from December 2024. Notably, analysts forecast that Genetic Signatures will break even (at a free cash flow level) in about 3 years. So there's a very good chance it won't need more cash, when you consider the burn rate will be reducing in that period. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

See our latest analysis for Genetic Signatures

How Well Is Genetic Signatures Growing?

It was fairly positive to see that Genetic Signatures reduced its cash burn by 22% during the last year. And considering that its operating revenue gained 45% during that period, that's great to see. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.

How Easily Can Genetic Signatures Raise Cash?

There's no doubt Genetic Signatures seems to be in a fairly good position, when it comes to managing its cash burn, but even if it's only hypothetical, it's always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive 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).

Genetic Signatures has a market capitalisation of AU$65m and burnt through AU$13m last year, which is 20% of the company's market value. 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 Genetic Signatures' Cash Burn Situation?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Genetic Signatures' cash burn. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Its weak point is its cash burn relative to its market cap, but even that wasn't too bad! Shareholders can take heart from the fact that analysts are forecasting it will reach breakeven. 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. Readers need to have a sound understanding of business risks before investing in a stock, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Genetic Signatures that potential shareholders should take into account before putting money into a stock.

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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.