We're Interested To See How New Century Healthcare Holding (HKG:1518) Uses Its Cash Hoard To Grow

We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether New Century Healthcare Holding (HKG:1518) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn.

See our latest analysis for New Century Healthcare Holding

When Might New Century Healthcare Holding Run Out Of Money?

You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. When New Century Healthcare Holding last reported its balance sheet in June 2021, it had zero debt and cash worth CN¥262m. Importantly, its cash burn was CN¥6.5m over the trailing twelve months. That means it had a cash runway of very many years as of June 2021. Even though this is but one measure of the company's cash burn, the thought of such a long cash runway warms our bellies in a comforting way. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

Is New Century Healthcare Holding's Revenue Growing?

Given that New Century Healthcare Holding actually had positive free cash flow last year, before burning cash this year, we'll focus on its operating revenue to get a measure of the business trajectory. Regrettably, the company's operating revenue moved in the wrong direction over the last twelve months, declining by 3.6%. 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 New Century Healthcare Holding is building its business over time.

Can New Century Healthcare Holding Raise More Cash Easily?

Given its problematic fall in revenue, New Century Healthcare Holding shareholders should consider how the company could fund its growth, if it turns out it needs more cash. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. 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.

New Century Healthcare Holding has a market capitalisation of CN¥374m and burnt through CN¥6.5m last year, which is 1.7% of the company's market value. That means it could easily issue a few shares to fund more growth, and might well be in a position to borrow cheaply.

So, Should We Worry About New Century Healthcare Holding's Cash Burn?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about New Century Healthcare Holding's cash burn. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. While its falling revenue wasn't great, the other factors mentioned in this article more than make up for weakness on that measure. After taking into account the various metrics mentioned in this report, we're pretty comfortable with how the company is spending its cash, as it seems on track to meet its needs over the medium term. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 3 warning signs for New Century Healthcare Holding (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about.

Of course New Century Healthcare Holding 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 that insiders are buying.

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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