To assess the suitability of Naturgy Energy Group S.A. for the issuance of hybrid bonds, we evaluate the provided data against the specified criteria: 1. **Industry Profile**: Naturgy is a multi-utility company (integrated gas and power). According to the methodology, regulated utilities and energy infrastructure businesses with visible cash flows are prime candidates for hybrid bond issuance. Naturgy’s business model fits the definition of an essential infrastructure/utility provider, which aligns with the "Strongly Suitable" profile. 2. **Financial Metrics**: * **Net Debt/EBITDA (2022)**: 2.67x. * **FFO/Net Debt (2022)**: 0.2847. * **Moody’s Trend**: Improving. While the company shows solid performance, the utility sector often utilizes hybrids to manage leverage and maintain rating headroom, particularly when undertaking capital-intensive transitions or significant investments. 3. **Track Record**: The data explicitly confirms that Naturgy has issued hybrid bonds in 2021 or 2022 and has been an issuer since 2013. The guidance notes that having issued hybrid bonds is a "strong signal" of suitability, as it indicates an established strategy of using subordinated capital for funding and rating management. 4. **Rationale**: As an integrated utility, Naturgy faces the ongoing requirements of the energy transition, requiring substantial capital expenditure. Hybrid instruments provide a mechanism to fund these projects without diluting equity, while gaining partial "equity credit" from rating agencies to support its credit profile. The existing hybrid program suggests that the company has both the institutional market access and the financial policy framework to continue utilizing these instruments. Given that Naturgy operates in a sector favorable for hybrid usage, has a proven history of utilizing these instruments effectively, and maintains a financial profile that benefits from the equity-like treatment of hybrids, the company is considered strongly suitable. Strongly Suitable