## Assessment of Hybrid Bond Suitability for REDEIA CORPORACION SA ### Company Profile REDEIA (formerly Red Eléctrica Corporación) is Spain's electricity transmission system operator – a regulated utility with stable, predictable cash flows. This is a critical factor for hybrid bond issuance. ### Key Financial Analysis **1. Size and Scale** - Total assets: €14.8 billion (2022 year-end) – a large-cap company - Revenue: €2.0 billion – substantial and stable - This is well above the threshold typically required for hybrid bond issuance **2. Leverage and Capital Structure** - Total equity: €4.9 billion - Total debt (noncurrent + current financial liabilities): €5.5B + €1.7B = ~€7.2 billion - Debt/Equity ratio: ~1.47x – moderately leveraged - Net debt (total borrowings minus cash): (~€6.2B long-term borrowings + ~€722M current borrowings) - €795M cash ≈ €6.1 billion - Net Debt/EBITDA: EBITDA ≈ Operating profit + D&A = €962M + €545M ≈ €1.5B; Net Debt/EBITDA ≈ 4.0x **3. Profitability and Cash Flow** - Operating profit: €962 million – strong and consistent - Net income: €681 million (2022), €686 million (2021) – stable - Operating cash flow: €1.57 billion – very strong - Interest coverage: EBIT/Interest = €962M/€116M ≈ 8.3x – comfortable **4. Dividend Policy** - Dividends paid: ~€544 million (significant payout) - EPS: €1.23, DPS: €1.00 – payout ratio ~81% - High payout ratio is typical for regulated utilities **5. Investment Grade Characteristics** - Regulated utility with monopoly position in Spanish electricity transmission - Stable, predictable revenue streams - Strong operating cash flows - Moderate leverage for a utility - Good interest coverage **6. Hybrid Bond Rationale** - Utilities frequently use hybrid bonds to optimize capital structure - Hybrid bonds receive partial equity credit from rating agencies, helping maintain investment-grade ratings - The company's leverage (~4.0x Net Debt/EBITDA) leaves room but hybrid issuance could provide additional flexibility - REDEIA has significant capex needs (evidenced by €536M in PP&E/intangible purchases and large investing outflows of €1.6B) - The company completed a significant equity raise (~€1B from treasury share transactions in 2022), suggesting capital needs - Growing investments (equity method investments grew from €588M to €892M) **7. Market Access** - Large, well-known European regulated utility - Already has significant bond market presence (€6.2B in long-term borrowings) - Investment-grade rated (REDEIA is typically rated BBB+ by major agencies) - European utility hybrid bond market is well-established ### Conclusion REDEIA is a textbook candidate for hybrid bond issuance. It is a large, regulated utility with stable cash flows, investment-grade credit profile, significant capital investment needs, and moderate leverage. Hybrid bonds are commonly used by such entities to maintain credit ratings while funding growth. The company's growing investment program (visible in the substantial increase in investing outflows) creates a clear need for capital optimization tools like hybrid bonds. Indeed, REDEIA has historically issued hybrid bonds in the market. Strongly Suitable