Here's Why We're Not At All Concerned With Longboard Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:LBPH) Cash Burn Situation

Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. 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. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So, the natural question for Longboard Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LBPH) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purposes of this article, cash burn is the annual rate at which an unprofitable company spends cash to fund its growth; 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 Longboard Pharmaceuticals

When Might Longboard Pharmaceuticals Run Out Of Money?

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. When Longboard Pharmaceuticals last reported its balance sheet in June 2021, it had zero debt and cash worth US$119m. In the last year, its cash burn was US$15m. So it had a cash runway of about 7.7 years from June 2021. 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.

How Hard Would It Be For Longboard Pharmaceuticals To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future 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.

Longboard Pharmaceuticals has a market capitalisation of US$137m and burnt through US$15m last year, which is 11% of the company's market value. Given that situation, it's fair to say the company wouldn't have much trouble raising more cash for growth, but shareholders would be somewhat diluted.

So, Should We Worry About Longboard Pharmaceuticals' Cash Burn?

Given it's an early stage company, we don't have a lot of data with which to judge Longboard Pharmaceuticals' cash burn. We would undoubtedly be more comfortable if it had reported some operating revenue. Having said that, we can say that its cash runway was a real positive. In conclusion, we don't see why investors should be concerned with its cash burn, at least for some time. Taking a deeper dive, we've spotted 5 warning signs for Longboard Pharmaceuticals you should be aware of, and 2 of them are significant.

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)

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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