LA BELLE HORTENSE : revenue, balance sheet and financial ratios

In 2024, LA BELLE HORTENSE achieves revenue of 541 k€. Over the period 2016-2024, the company shows strong growth with a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of +6.6%. Vs 2023: +6%. After deducting consumption (351 k€), gross margin stands at 190 k€, i.e. a rate of 35%. This ratio measures the ability to generate value from commercial activity. EBITDA (= Gross margin - Personnel expenses - Taxes) reaches 52 k€, representing 9.5% of revenue. Positive scissor effect: EBITDA margin improves by +2.6 pts, sign of improved operational efficiency. This level of operating margin is satisfactory for the sector. Ultimately, net income (= EBIT +/- financial result +/- exceptional - corporate tax) amounts to 51 k€, i.e. 9.4% of revenue. This profit can be retained or distributed to shareholders.

The debt ratio (= Financial debt / Equity x 100) stands at -166%. This very low level reflects a solid financial structure, offering significant room for future investments or acquisitions. Financial autonomy (= Equity / Total assets x 100) reaches 66%. This high autonomy means the company finances most of its assets through equity, a sign of strength. Debt repayment capacity (= Financial debt / Cash flow) indicates it would take 2.4 years of cash flow to repay all financial debt. This short period demonstrates excellent debt sustainability. Cash flow represents 9.8% of revenue. Cash flow measures resources generated by operations, available for investment and debt repayment. Satisfactory level allowing partial financing of growth.

The liquidity ratio (= Current assets / Current liabilities) stands at 113.06. Concretely, the company has €2 of liquid assets for every €1 of short-term debt: no cash risk within 12 months. The interest coverage ratio (= EBIT / Interest expenses) is 3.7x. Financial charges are adequately covered by operations.

Working capital requirement (WCR) measures the cash timing gap between customer collections and supplier/inventory payments. Average customer payment term: 26 days (formula: Customer receivables / Revenue incl. VAT x 360). Supplier term: 30 days. Favorable situation: supplier credit is longer than customer credit by 4 days. Inventory turnover is 14 days (= Average inventory / Cost of goods x 360). Fast turnover, sign of good inventory management. WCR is negative (-49 days): operations structurally generate cash. Over 2016-2024, WCR increased by +56%, requiring additional financing.

Based on 698 transactions of similar company sales in 2024, the value of LA BELLE HORTENSE is estimated at 302 071 € (range 157 420€ - 569 279€). With an EBITDA of 51 629€, the sector multiple of 5.4x is applied. The price/revenue ratio is 0.57x (in line with sector norms). This multiples method compares the actual sale price of similar companies to their financial indicators (Revenue, EBITDA, Net Income). It provides a market-based indicative estimate.