Table of Contents
What changed
Statutory revenue fell 9.0% to NZ$5,991.4m and reported EBITDA declined 9.0% to NZ$275.8m, despite the release headlining underlying EBITDA of NZ$291m "up 7.1%". The P&L leveraged down harder than the top line: PBT dropped 18.8% to NZ$155.8m and NPAT dropped 18.9% to NZ$110.5m, with the effective tax rate essentially unchanged at 28.3%. Segmentally, Healthcare (about 95% of revenue) carried the damage, with its reported segment result falling to NZ$173.2m from NZ$273.6m, while the smaller Animal Care segment's result rose to NZ$53.3m from NZ$47.2m. Operating cash flow jumped to NZ$189.8m from NZ$105.5m, and gross borrowings reduced to NZ$1,302.6m from NZ$1,453.6m, but cash also fell to NZ$237.9m from NZ$365.3m. Net debt was broadly flat at roughly NZ$1.065b, so net debt/EBITDA drifted up to 3.86x from 3.59x. The interim dividend was held flat at NZ 57.0 cps.
What matters
- Healthcare segment earnings quality: the 37% year-on-year decline in the Healthcare segment result is the single most important read-through, implying segment margin compressed to roughly 3.0% from about 4.3%. This is consistent with the wholesale contract transition flagged in the release ("approximately $100m revenue from new pharmacy wholesale customers") replacing higher-margin volume.
- Leverage direction: net debt is stable in dollar terms, but with EBITDA down, net debt/EBITDA is now 3.86x. That is a weakening trajectory, not a deleveraging one, even though cash generation in the period was strong.
- Payout tension: on the calculation pass, the interim dividend now equates to roughly 100.2% of statutory HY NPAT, versus about 80.3% a year ago. It is still covered by pre-lease free cash flow (NZ$134.1m), but the statutory earnings cushion has effectively closed.
Expectations
No quantified FY25 target can be extracted — the release states that EBOS "reiterates its guidance" for underlying EBITDA but the numeric range is truncated in the supplied text. On shape, HY24 contributed almost exactly half of FY24 revenue, EBITDA and NPAT (49.9% / 50.0% / 50.1%), so EBOS historically does not run a strong second-half skew. Annualising HY25 revenue gives roughly NZ$12.0b, about NZ$1.2b below FY24's NZ$13.2b. Delivering on the reiterated underlying EBITDA guidance therefore appears to require either a 2H revenue reacceleration from the new wholesale customers ramping, a margin recovery in Healthcare, or both — the release does not, on the extracted text, evidence either of those yet.
Quality of result
The earnings decline looks operational rather than cosmetic: tax effects are neutral, there is no disclosed discontinued operation, and the PBT and NPAT growth rates are within 0.1pp of each other. The cash flow outperformance is real — OCF/EBITDA rose to 68.8% from 34.8% and pre-lease FCF went from NZ$41.2m to NZ$134.1m — but much of it is working-capital-driven: trade debtors fell NZ$103.4m and inventories fell NZ$87.8m, in line with the lower revenue base. Receivable days actually ticked up to 43.3 from 42.2 and inventory days to 37.9 from 36.9, so the cash release reflects lower activity rather than tighter working-capital management. Underlying EBITDA of NZ$291m is disclosed but, per the non-GAAP note, no full reconciliation bridge from statutory to underlying was supplied in the extracted text.
Unresolved
- How much of the Healthcare margin compression is structural (Chemist Warehouse contract economics, new wholesale customer mix) versus transitional?
- What is the gap between underlying EBITDA (NZ$291m) and reported EBITDA (NZ$275.8m), and what specific items sit in that NZ$15m reconciliation?
- Does management still see net debt/EBITDA moving back inside prior ranges given that underlying EBITDA growth has not prevented reported leverage drifting higher?
- Is the flat dividend sustainable if statutory NPAT does not recover in 2H, given payout is now at roughly 100% of HY earnings?
- What is the actual quantified FY25 underlying EBITDA guidance range that was truncated in the supplied release text?
This briefing cannot assess forward earnings trajectory, valuation multiples or guidance achievability because the quantified FY25 guidance range and share-count-based per-share metrics were not available in the extracted data.
Key metrics
| Metric | HY25 | HY24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $5991.4m | $6582.5m | -9.0% ↓ |
| EBITDA | $275.8m | $303.1m | -9.0% ↓ |
| Net profit after tax | $110.5m | $136.2m | -18.9% ↓ |
| Net cash inflow from operating activities | $189.8m | $105.5m | +80.0% ↑ |
| Interim dividend per share | 57.0c | 57.0c | flat |
| Operating profit | $207.3m | $236.7m | -12.4% ↓ |
| Profit before tax | $155.8m | $192.0m | -18.8% ↓ |
| Cash and cash equivalents | $237.9m | $365.3m | -34.9% ↓ |
| Total assets | $6843.3m | $6935.7m | -1.3% ↓ |
Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/ebo-hy25
Segment breakdown
| Segment | Current revenue | Prior revenue | Current result | Mix shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | $5687.2m | $6296.3m | $173.2m | -0.7pp |
| Animal Care | $304.2m | $286.2m | $53.3m | +0.7pp |
| Corporate | $0m | — | −$19.2m | n/a |
Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/ebo-hy25
Analytical metrics
| Metric | HY25 | HY24 | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBT growth | -18.8% | — | — |
| Effective tax rate | 28.3% | 28.5% | — |
| OCF / EBITDA (cash conversion) | 68.8% | 34.8% | stable |
| FCF pre-lease | $134.1m | $41.2m | +$92.9m |
| FCF / NPAT | 121.3% | 30.2% | complementary conversion metric |
| Capex % revenue | 0.9% | 1.0% | — |
| Capex | $55.8m | $64.3m | −$8.5m |
| Debtor days | 43.3 | 42.2 | +1.1 days |
| Inventory days | 37.9 | 36.9 | +1.0 days |
| Operating working capital | $2670.1m | $2861.4m | −$191.2m absorbed |
| Trade debtors | $1423.7m | $1527.1m | −$103.4m |
| Net debt | $1064.7m | $1088.2m | −$23.6m |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.86x | 3.59x | Weakening |
| Gross borrowings | $1302.6m | $1453.6m | −$151.0m |
| Payout ratio vs NPAT | 100.2% | — | — |
| Payout ratio vs FCF pre-lease | 82.5% | — | covered |
| ROE (annualised) | 4.5% | 5.8% | Weakening |
| HY24 share of FY24 revenue | 49.9% | — | Other half was 50.1% |
| HY24 share of FY24 EBITDA | 50.0% | — | Other half was 50.0% |
| HY24 share of FY24 NPAT | 50.1% | — | Other half was 49.9% |
| Profit from continuing operations | $111.7m | $136.2m | −$24.5m |
Reference: annolyse.ai/briefings/ebo-hy25
This analysis was generated using Annolyse, an AI-powered tool that analyses NZX company announcements. The analysis is based on available company filings and standard Annolyse calculations. This is general information only and does not constitute financial advice. The analysis may contain errors. Always read the original company filings and consult a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.