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We can readily understand why investors are attracted to unprofitable companies. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?
So should Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? In this report, we will consider the company's annual negative free cash flow, henceforth referring to it as the 'cash burn'. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.
Check out our latest analysis for Lyell Immunopharma
When Might Lyell Immunopharma 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 Lyell Immunopharma last reported its balance sheet in March 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth US$614m. Importantly, its cash burn was US$197m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from March 2022 it had 3.1 years of cash runway. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.
How Well Is Lyell Immunopharma Growing?
Lyell Immunopharma reduced its cash burn by 16% during the last year, which points to some degree of discipline. Unfortunately, however, operating revenue declined by 2.1% during the period. In light of the data above, we're fairly sanguine about the business growth trajectory. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.
Can Lyell Immunopharma Raise More Cash Easily?
There's no doubt Lyell Immunopharma seems to be in a fairly good position, when it comes to managing its cash burn, but even if it's only hypothetical, it's always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund growth. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.
Lyell Immunopharma has a market capitalisation of US$1.5b and burnt through US$197m last year, which is 14% of the company's market value. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.