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 the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse.
So should SofWave Medical (TLV:SOFW) shareholders 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.
How Long Is SofWave Medical's Cash Runway?
A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. In March 2025, SofWave Medical had US$20m in cash, and was debt-free. In the last year, its cash burn was US$2.7m. That means it had a cash runway of about 7.6 years as of March 2025. While this is only one measure of its cash burn situation, it certainly gives us the impression that holders have nothing to worry about. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.
View our latest analysis for SofWave Medical
How Well Is SofWave Medical Growing?
It was fairly positive to see that SofWave Medical reduced its cash burn by 48% during the last year. And operating revenue was up by 19% too. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. This graph of historic earnings and revenue shows how SofWave Medical is building its business over time.
How Easily Can SofWave Medical Raise Cash?
There's no doubt SofWave Medical 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. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund 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.
Since it has a market capitalisation of US$250m, SofWave Medical's US$2.7m in cash burn equates to about 1.1% of its 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.
Is SofWave Medical's Cash Burn A Worry?
It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way SofWave Medical is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash runway suggests that the company is on a good path. Its revenue growth wasn't quite as good, but was still rather encouraging! 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. We think it's very important to consider the cash burn for loss making companies, but other considerations such as the amount the CEO is paid can also enhance your understanding of the business. You can click here to see what SofWave Medical's CEO gets paid each year.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)
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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.