Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, Onyx Gold (CVE:ONYX) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 1,066%. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?
Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Onyx Gold shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. 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). Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn.
How Long Is Onyx Gold's Cash Runway?
A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In June 2025, Onyx Gold had CA$12m in cash, and was debt-free. Importantly, its cash burn was CA$4.6m over the trailing twelve months. That means it had a cash runway of about 2.7 years as of June 2025. That's decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.
See our latest analysis for Onyx Gold
How Is Onyx Gold's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?
Onyx Gold didn't record any revenue over the last year, indicating that it's an early stage company still developing its business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. While it hardly paints a picture of imminent growth, the fact that it has reduced its cash burn by 43% over the last year suggests some degree of prudence. Onyx Gold makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.
How Easily Can Onyx Gold Raise Cash?
Even though it has reduced its cash burn recently, shareholders should still consider how easy it would be for Onyx Gold to raise more cash in the future. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.
Onyx Gold has a market capitalisation of CA$129m and burnt through CA$4.6m last year, which is 3.5% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.
So, Should We Worry About Onyx Gold's Cash Burn?
It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Onyx Gold is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. But it's fair to say that its cash burn reduction was also very reassuring. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn; the company seems well on top of its medium-term spending needs. On another note, Onyx Gold has 5 warning signs (and 2 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.
If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.
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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.