We're Interested To See How Sosandar (LON:SOS) Uses Its Cash Hoard To Grow

There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So, the natural question for Sosandar (LON:SOS) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. 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). First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

View our latest analysis for Sosandar

How Long Is Sosandar's Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at September 2021, Sosandar had cash of UK£7.4m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was UK£2.6m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from September 2021 it had 2.8 years of cash runway. Notably, however, the one analyst we see covering the stock thinks that Sosandar will break even (at a free cash flow level) before then. If that happens, then the length of its cash runway, today, would become a moot point. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Well Is Sosandar Growing?

Sosandar managed to reduce its cash burn by 61% over the last twelve months, which suggests it's on the right flight path. And there's no doubt that the inspiriting revenue growth of 91% assisted in that improvement. Considering these factors, we're fairly impressed by its growth trajectory. 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 Hard Would It Be For Sosandar To Raise More Cash For Growth?

There's no doubt Sosandar 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 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.

Sosandar has a market capitalisation of UK£43m and burnt through UK£2.6m last year, which is 6.0% 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.

Is Sosandar's Cash Burn A Worry?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Sosandar is burning through its cash. For example, we think its revenue growth suggests that the company is on a good path. And even its cash burn relative to its market cap was very encouraging. It's clearly very positive to see that at least one analyst is forecasting the company will break even fairly soon. After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. Its important for readers to be cognizant of the risks that can affect the company's operations, and we've picked out 3 warning signs for Sosandar that investors should know when investing in the stock.

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.