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 the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse.
So, the natural question for Biofrontera (ETR:B8FK) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of 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. The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.
Does Biofrontera Have A Long Cash Runway?
A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at March 2025, Biofrontera had cash of €4.9m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was €2.7m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from March 2025 it had roughly 21 months of cash runway. That's not too bad, but it's fair to say the end of the cash runway is in sight, unless cash burn reduces drastically. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.
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How Well Is Biofrontera Growing?
It was fairly positive to see that Biofrontera reduced its cash burn by 29% during the last year. Unfortunately, however, operating revenue declined by 21% during the period. 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 Biofrontera is building its business over time.
Can Biofrontera Raise More Cash Easily?
While Biofrontera seems to be in a fairly good position, it's still worth considering how easily it could raise more cash, even just to fuel faster growth. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future 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.
Biofrontera has a market capitalisation of €17m and burnt through €2.7m last year, which is 16% 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.
So, Should We Worry About Biofrontera's Cash Burn?
On this analysis of Biofrontera's cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its falling revenue 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 Biofrontera's situation. An in-depth examination of risks revealed 1 warning sign for Biofrontera that readers should think about before committing capital to this stock.
Of course Biofrontera 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 with high insider ownership.
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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.