We're Hopeful That Research Frontiers (NASDAQ:REFR) Will Use Its Cash Wisely

Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. 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, the natural question for Research Frontiers (NASDAQ:REFR) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for Research Frontiers

How Long Is Research Frontiers' Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. When Research Frontiers last reported its June 2024 balance sheet in August 2024, it had zero debt and cash worth US$1.9m. In the last year, its cash burn was US$1.7m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 14 months from June 2024. That's not too bad, but it's fair to say the end of the cash runway is in sight, unless cash burn reduces drastically. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Research Frontiers' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

In our view, Research Frontiers doesn't yet produce significant amounts of operating revenue, since it reported just US$1.3m in the last twelve months. As a result, we think it's a bit early to focus on the revenue growth, so we'll limit ourselves to looking at how the cash burn is changing over time. While it hardly paints a picture of imminent growth, the fact that it has reduced its cash burn by 29% over the last year suggests some degree of prudence. Of course, we've only taken a quick look at the stock's growth metrics, here. You can take a look at how Research Frontiers is growing revenue over time by checking this visualization of past revenue growth.

Can Research Frontiers Raise More Cash Easily?

While Research Frontiers is showing a solid reduction in its cash burn, it's still worth considering how easily it could raise more cash, even just to fuel faster growth. 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. 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).

Research Frontiers has a market capitalisation of US$68m and burnt through US$1.7m last year, which is 2.4% 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 Research Frontiers' Cash Burn?

The good news is that in our view Research Frontiers' cash burn situation gives shareholders real reason for optimism. Not only was its cash burn reduction quite good, but its cash burn relative to its market cap was a real positive. While we're the kind of investors who are always a bit concerned about the risks involved with cash burning companies, the metrics we have discussed in this article leave us relatively comfortable about Research Frontiers' situation. Readers need to have a sound understanding of business risks before investing in a stock, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Research Frontiers that potential shareholders should take into account before putting money into a stock.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies with significant insider holdings, 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.