Here's Why We're Not Too Worried About Palladyne AI's (NASDAQ:PDYN) Cash Burn Situation

We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. By way of example, Palladyne AI (NASDAQ:PDYN) has seen its share price rise 1,255% over the last year, delighting many shareholders. 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.

Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Palladyne AI shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. 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). The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.

See our latest analysis for Palladyne AI

When Might Palladyne AI Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. In December 2024, Palladyne AI had US$40m in cash, and was debt-free. In the last year, its cash burn was US$23m. That means it had a cash runway of around 21 months as of December 2024. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

How Well Is Palladyne AI Growing?

Palladyne AI managed to reduce its cash burn by 70% over the last twelve months, which suggests it's on the right flight path. And revenue is up 27% in that same period; also a good sign. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. While the past is always worth studying, it is the future that matters most of all. So you might want to take a peek at how much the company is expected to grow in the next few years.

How Easily Can Palladyne AI Raise Cash?

While Palladyne AI seems to be in a decent position, we reckon it is still worth thinking about how easily it could raise more cash, if that proved desirable. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. 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 comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Palladyne AI has a market capitalisation of US$241m and burnt through US$23m last year, which is 9.5% of the company's market value. Given that is a rather small percentage, it would probably be really easy for the company to fund another year's growth by issuing some new shares to investors, or even by taking out a loan.

So, Should We Worry About Palladyne AI's Cash Burn?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Palladyne AI is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its cash burn reduction stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. And even though its cash runway wasn't quite as impressive, it was still a positive. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 5 warning signs for Palladyne AI (of which 2 are a bit unpleasant!) you should know about.

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.