To assess whether Hera S.p.A. is suitable to issue hybrid bonds, we need to evaluate key financial metrics that credit rating agencies and investors use to determine the credit quality and debt-servicing capacity of a company. Hybrid bonds are typically issued by investment-grade companies with stable cash flows, moderate leverage, and strong interest coverage. 1. **Size and Revenue Scale**: The company is a large multi-utility with revenues exceeding €20 billion in 2022. This massive scale provides a diversified and stable revenue base, which is highly favored by bond investors. 2. **Profitability and Interest Coverage**: - EBITDA (approximated by Operating Profit + D&A) for 2022 is roughly €533.8M + €667.1M + €478.6M = €1.68 billion. - EBITDA margin is around 8.3%, which is standard for utilities. - Finance costs for 2022 were €217.2 million. The EBITDA-to-interest coverage ratio is approximately 7.7x, and EBIT-to-interest coverage is around 2.5x. This indicates a very comfortable ability to meet interest payments, a crucial factor for hybrid bond issuance. 3. **Leverage and Debt Capacity**: - Total Equity in 2023 is €3.64 billion. - Total Liabilities are €13.47 billion. - While absolute debt (Noncurrent Financial Liabilities + Current Financial Liabilities) is around €6.34 billion, the Debt-to-Equity ratio is approximately 1.7x. For a capital-intensive utility, this leverage is considered moderate and well within investment-grade thresholds. - Hybrid bonds are treated partially as equity by rating agencies (typically 50% equity credit), which would effectively lower the company's leverage profile, making it an attractive instrument for Hera to optimize its capital structure without diluting shareholders. Given the stable utility business model, strong interest coverage, large scale, and moderate leverage, Hera S.p.A. is strongly suitable to issue hybrid bonds. Strongly Suitable