Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, Tuas (ASX:TUA) shareholders have done very well over the last year, with the share price soaring by 165%. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

Given its strong share price performance, we think it's worthwhile for Tuas shareholders to consider whether its cash burn is concerning. 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. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

View our latest analysis for Tuas

When Might Tuas Run Out Of Money?

You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. As at July 2021, Tuas had cash of S$95m and no debt. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through S$25m. So it had a cash runway of about 3.7 years from July 2021. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time. debt-equity-history-analysis

How Well Is Tuas Growing?

Tuas managed to reduce its cash burn by 74% over the last twelve months, which suggests it's on the right flight path. But its revenue is better yet, flying higher than Elon Musk and his rocket, with growth of 506% in the last year. Considering these factors, we're fairly impressed by its growth trajectory. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. You can take a look at how Tuas is growing revenue over time by checking  this visualization of past revenue growth.

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

While Tuas 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. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. 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).



Tuas' cash burn of S$25m is about 2.9% of its S$886m market capitalisation. 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 Tuas' Cash Burn?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Tuas is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its revenue growth stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. But it's fair to say that its cash burn relative to its market cap was also very reassuring. Taking all the factors in this report into account, we're not at all worried about its cash burn, as the business appears well capitalized to spend as needs be. Taking a deeper dive, we've spotted  3 warning signs for Tuas you should be aware of, and 2 of them are potentially serious.

Of course Tuas may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this freecollection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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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.