I need to analyze Acciona SA's leverage trend for 2022 based on the financial data provided. Let me calculate key leverage metrics and compare them year-over-year. First, let me identify the relevant data: **Debt/Financial Obligations:** - Noncurrent portion of noncurrent loans: 2022: 2,073M EUR → 2023: 2,624M EUR (increase) - Current loans received: 2022: 280M EUR → 2023: 553M EUR (increase) - Noncurrent lease liabilities: 2022: 430M EUR → 2023: 439M EUR (slight increase) - Current lease liabilities: 2022: 68M EUR → 2023: 72M EUR (slight increase) - Participaciones preferentes (noncurrent): 2022: 2,364M EUR → 2023: 3,101M EUR (significant increase) - Participaciones preferentes (current): 2022: 1,666M EUR → 2023: 1,139M EUR (decrease) **Total Debt-like obligations:** - 2022: 2,073 + 280 + 430 + 68 + 2,364 + 1,666 = 6,881M EUR - 2023: 2,624 + 553 + 439 + 72 + 3,101 + 1,139 = 7,928M EUR **Equity:** - 2022: 5,557M EUR - 2023: 6,304M EUR **Total Assets:** - 2022: 19,603M EUR - 2023: 22,595M EUR **EBITDA proxy (Operating profit + depreciation/amortization):** - 2022 operating profit: 829M EUR; 2023 operating profit: 1,334M EUR - Depreciation/amortization: 2022: 714M EUR; 2023: 762M EUR - EBITDA 2022: 829 + 714 = 1,543M EUR - EBITDA 2023: 1,334 + 762 = 2,096M EUR **Key Leverage Ratios:** 1. **Debt/Equity:** - 2022: 6,881 / 5,557 = 1.24x - 2023: 7,928 / 6,304 = 1.26x - Slight increase, relatively stable 2. **Debt/EBITDA:** - 2022: 6,881 / 1,543 = 4.46x - 2023: 7,928 / 2,096 = 3.78x - Improvement due to EBITDA growth 3. **Total Liabilities/Total Assets:** - 2022: (19,603 - 5,557) / 19,603 = 14,046 / 19,603 = 71.7% - 2023: (22,595 - 6,304) / 22,595 = 16,291 / 22,595 = 72.1% - Slight increase 4. **Net Debt calculation (Debt - Cash):** - 2022: 6,881 - 2,318 = 4,563M EUR - 2023: 7,928 - 2,360 = 5,568M EUR - Increase in net debt 5. **Net Debt/EBITDA:** - 2022: 4,563 / 1,543 = 2.96x - 2023: 5,568 / 2,096 = 2.66x - Improvement **Analysis for Moody's Adjusted Leverage:** Moody's typically focuses on: - Debt/EBITDA trends - Debt/EBITDA improved from ~4.5x to ~3.8x - Net Debt/EBITDA improved from ~3.0x to ~2.7x - However, total debt increased significantly (6,881M to 7,928M, +15.2%) - Total assets grew even more (19,603M to 22,595M, +15.3%) The key consideration is that while nominal debt increased, EBITDA grew much faster (35.8% growth vs 15.2% debt growth). This means coverage ratios improved. However, looking at the balance sheet structure: - Noncurrent liabilities grew from 7,131M to 8,467M (+18.7%) - Current liabilities grew from 6,915M to 7,824M (+13.1%) - Total liabilities grew from 14,046M to 16,291M (+16.0%) Equity grew 13.4%, which is less than liability growth of 16.0%. But the critical factor for Moody's is typically Debt/EBITDA or similar cash flow coverage metrics. The strong EBITDA growth (from operational improvement - revenue up 38% from 8,104M to 11,195M) drives leverage improvement on a cash flow basis. Looking more carefully at the P&L: - Revenue growth: 38.1% - Operating profit growth: 60.9% - EBITDA growth: 35.8% This strong operational performance improves debt servicing capacity despite higher absolute debt levels. For Moody's specifically, they adjust debt to include certain off-balance sheet items and make other adjustments. The "Participaciones Preferentes" (preferred shares/participations) are treated as debt-like by rating agencies. The trend in Debt/EBITDA is clearly improving. Net debt/EBITDA also improved. The interest coverage (EBITDA/Interest) would have improved significantly. However, I need to be careful - total leverage in terms of debt-to-capital or debt-to-equity is relatively stable or slightly worse. But for credit ratings, cash flow metrics (Debt/EBITDA) are typically most important. Given that: - Debt/EBITDA improved from ~4.5x to ~3.8x - Net Debt/EBITDA improved from ~3.0x to ~2.7x - EBITDA growth significantly outpaced debt growth The trend appears to be **Improving** from a credit quality perspective, as the company's ability to service its debt has strengthened materially. Improving