Even when a business is losing money, it’s possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.
NASDAQ:RBCN) shareholders should be worried about its 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.” data-reactid=”29″>Given this risk, we thought we’d take a look at whether Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ:RBCN) shareholders should be worried about its 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.
See our latest analysis for Rubicon Technology ” data-reactid=”30″> See our latest analysis for Rubicon Technology
When Might Rubicon Technology Run Out Of Money?
A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. In June 2020, Rubicon Technology had US$26m in cash, and was debt-free. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through US$951k. That means it had a cash runway of very many years as of June 2020. Even though this is but one measure of the company’s cash burn, the thought of such a long cash runway warms our bellies in a comforting way. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

debt-equity-history-analysis
How Well Is Rubicon Technology Growing?
this visualization of its revenue and earnings history.” data-reactid=”50″>It was fairly positive to see that Rubicon Technology reduced its cash burn by 47% during the last year. Revenue also improved during the period, increasing by 15%. We think it is growing rather well, upon reflection. Of course, we’ve only taken a quick look at the stock’s growth metrics, here. You can take a look at how Rubicon Technology has developed its business over time by checking this visualization of its revenue and earnings history.
How Hard Would It Be For Rubicon Technology To Raise More Cash For Growth?
We are certainly impressed with the progress Rubicon Technology has made over the last year, but it is also worth considering how costly it would be if it wanted to raise more cash to fund faster growth. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive 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).
Rubicon Technology’s cash burn of US$951k is about 4.7% of its US$20m market capitalisation. That’s a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.
How Risky Is Rubicon Technology’s Cash Burn Situation?
2 warning signs for Rubicon Technology that readers should think about before committing capital to this stock.” data-reactid=”55″>It may already be apparent to you that we’re relatively comfortable with the way Rubicon Technology is burning through its cash. In particular, we think its cash runway stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. Its revenue growth wasn’t quite as good, but was still rather encouraging! After taking into account the various metrics mentioned in this report, we’re pretty comfortable with how the company is spending its cash, as it seems on track to meet its needs over the medium term. An in-depth examination of risks revealed 2 warning signs for Rubicon Technology that readers should think about before committing capital to this stock.
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Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email [email protected].” data-reactid=”61″>This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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