UNIVERSAL SERVICE : revenue, balance sheet and financial ratios

In 2024, UNIVERSAL SERVICE achieves revenue of 4.2 M€. Revenue is growing positively over 9 years (CAGR: +3.0%). Vs 2023: +0%. After deducting consumption (1.4 M€), gross margin stands at 2.8 M€, i.e. a rate of 66%. This ratio measures the ability to generate value from commercial activity. EBITDA (= Gross margin - Personnel expenses - Taxes) reaches 435 k€, representing 10.3% of revenue. Warning negative scissor effect: despite revenue change (+0%), EBITDA varies by -24%, reducing margin by 3.2 pts. This reflects costs rising faster than revenue. This level of operating margin is satisfactory for the sector. Ultimately, net income (= EBIT +/- financial result +/- exceptional - corporate tax) amounts to 354 k€, i.e. 8.4% of revenue. This profit can be retained or distributed to shareholders.

The debt ratio (= Financial debt / Equity x 100) stands at 22%. 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 51%. 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 0.9 years of cash flow to repay all financial debt. This short period demonstrates excellent debt sustainability. Cash flow represents 9.1% 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 242.93. 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 1.1x. Coverage is limited: any activity downturn would jeopardize interest payments.

Working capital requirement (WCR) measures the cash timing gap between customer collections and supplier/inventory payments. Average customer payment term: 62 days (formula: Customer receivables / Revenue incl. VAT x 360). Supplier term: 93 days. Excellent situation: suppliers finance 31 days of the operating cycle (retail model). Inventory turnover is 16 days (= Average inventory / Cost of goods x 360). Fast turnover, sign of good inventory management. Overall, WCR represents 167 days of revenue, i.e. 2.0 M€ to permanently finance.

Based on 147 transactions of similar company sales in 2024, the value of UNIVERSAL SERVICE is estimated at 1 961 724 € (range 862 145€ - 3 506 366€). With an EBITDA of 435 228€, the sector multiple of 5.5x is applied. The price/revenue ratio is 0.35x (conservative valuation). 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.