To assess whether Fortum Oyj is suitable to issue hybrid bonds, we need to evaluate the company's financial health, leverage, interest coverage, and cash flow generation, as hybrid bonds are typically issued by companies needing to bolster equity while managing debt costs, often requiring stable cash flows to service the high-yield obligations. 1. **Profitability and Cash Flow Volatility**: - Fortum experienced a massive swing in profitability, moving from a Profit Loss of -114 million EUR in 2021 to a staggering -10.29 billion EUR in 2022. This was heavily impacted by -11.3 billion EUR in losses from discontinued operations (largely the Uniper divestment and Russian asset impairments). - Continuing operations, however, showed strength: Profit from continuing operations was 1.01 billion EUR in 2022 (up from 4.00 billion EUR in 2021), and Cash flows from operating activities (continuing) were a robust 2.10 billion EUR. 2. **Debt and Leverage**: - Total Assets shrunk significantly from 149.66 billion EUR to 23.64 billion EUR (largely due to deconsolidation of Russian operations). - Total Equity dropped drastically from 13.66 billion EUR to 7.73 billion EUR, resulting in a highly leveraged balance sheet (Equity-to-Assets ratio of ~32.7%). - A company with declining equity and high leverage is a prime candidate for hybrid bonds, as the issuance would directly improve the equity ratio and restore balance sheet stability (often required to maintain investment-grade credit ratings after massive impairments). 3. **Interest Coverage and Servicing Ability**: - The Finance Income Cost (net interest expense) for 2022 was -193 million EUR. With Cash Flows From Used In Operating Activities (Continuing Operations) at 2.10 billion EUR and Comparable Operating Profit at 1.87 billion EUR, Fortum generates more than enough operational cash flow to service its existing debt and any new hybrid bond coupons. The interest coverage ratio remains healthy. 4. **Dividend Policy**: - Fortum paid over 1 billion EUR in dividends in 2022 but has proposed a lower dividend of 817 million EUR (0.91 EUR/shares) for the upcoming period. Cutting the dividend to preserve cash while issuing hybrid bonds to strengthen the balance sheet is a typical sequence of events for companies in restructuring phases. Hybrid bonds offer discretionary coupon deferrals, which aligns well with a firm navigating operational uncertainties. Given the catastrophic hit to the equity base from discontinued operations and the urgent need to recapitalize / re-lever the balance sheet, coupled with strong underlying cash flows from continuing operations that can easily service the debt, Fortum is a textbook candidate for hybrid bonds. It is marginally suitable rather than strongly suitable because the overall loss profile and recent structural turmoil pose inherent risks typical of marginal high-yield hybrid issuers, though the core business remains solid. Marginally Suitable