MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) (HKG:2235) Is In A Good Position To Deliver On Growth Plans

Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

So, the natural question for MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) (HKG:2235) 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). Let's start with an examination of the business' cash, relative to its cash burn.

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When Might MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at December 2024, MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) had cash of CN¥1.7b and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was CN¥204m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2024 it had 8.4 years of cash runway. 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. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

See our latest analysis for MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou)

How Well Is MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) Growing?

Some investors might find it troubling that MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) is actually increasing its cash burn, which is up 12% in the last year. The good news is that operating revenue increased by 37% in the last year, indicating that the business is gaining some traction. Considering the factors above, the company doesn’t fare badly when it comes to assessing how it is changing over time. 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 MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) To Raise More Cash For Growth?

There's no doubt MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) 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. 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.

Since it has a market capitalisation of CN¥2.3b, MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou)'s CN¥204m in cash burn equates to about 8.9% of its 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 MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou)'s Cash Burn A Worry?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou)'s cash burn. In particular, we think its cash runway stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. While its increasing cash burn wasn't great, the other factors mentioned in this article more than make up for weakness on that measure. 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. For us, it's always important to consider risks around cash burn rates. But investors should look at a whole range of factors when researching a new stock. For example, it could be interesting to see how much the MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) CEO receives in total remuneration.

Of course MicroTech Medical (Hangzhou) 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.