European Wax Center, Inc. (NASDAQ: EWCZ)

Sector: Consumer Defensive Industry: Household & Personal Products CIK: 0001856236
Market Cap 159.48 Mn
P/B 2.04
P/E 14.19
P/S 0.75
ROIC (Qtr) 7.29
Div Yield % 0.00
Rev 1y % (Qtr) -2.25
Total Debt (Qtr) 382.19 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 4.89

About

European Wax Center, Inc., commonly identified by its stock symbol EWCZ, is a prominent player in the personal care services industry, specifically focusing on out-of-home (OOH) waxing services in the United States. With a robust presence in 45 states and over 1,044 locations, it leads the U.S. market with approximately 5% share. The company's primary business activities involve providing waxing services, primarily to a female clientele, although male customers are also catered to. Its service portfolio includes body and facial waxing, all administered...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Healthy cash reserves of 80.02M provide 15.34x coverage of short-term debt 5.22M, demonstrating strong liquidity position and minimal refinancing risk.
  • Tangible assets of 263.93M provide exceptional 29.90x coverage of deferred revenue 8.83M, showing strong service capability backing.
  • Robust free cash flow of 59.35M exceeds capital expenditure of 2.42M by 24.54x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Robust tangible asset base of 263.93M provides 3.34x coverage of working capital 78.95M, indicating strong operational backing.
  • Cash position of 80.02M provides exceptional 15.49x coverage of minority interest expenses 5.17M, indicating strong liquidity.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 61.76M barely covers its investment activities of (2.42M), with a coverage ratio of -25.54, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 61.76M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (42000) with a -1470.57 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Operating earnings of 41.34M show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 20.06M, with a 2.06 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.
  • Other non-current liabilities of 200.54M represent a high 0.76x of tangible assets 263.93M, suggesting significant long-term obligations without clear asset backing.
  • Free cash flow of 59.35M represents just -14.84x of debt issuance (4M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.

Peer comparison

Companies in the Household & Personal Products
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 PG PROCTER & GAMBLE Co 344.56 Bn 20.55 4.06 35.95 Bn
2 UL Unilever Plc 162.92 Bn 24.93 2.32 -
3 CL Colgate Palmolive Co 64.98 Bn 22.35 3.23 8.42 Bn
4 EL Estee Lauder Companies Inc 38.59 Bn -41.50 2.67 9.42 Bn
5 KMB Kimberly Clark Corp 33.56 Bn 17.05 1.86 7.30 Bn
6 KVUE Kenvue Inc. 32.45 Bn 22.64 2.16 8.97 Bn
7 CHD Church & Dwight Co Inc /De/ 20.90 Bn 26.71 3.40 2.20 Bn
8 CLX Clorox Co /De/ 12.14 Bn 15.35 1.79 3.08 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 0.65 1.45
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 7.62 8.11
EV to Debt EV to Debt 1.23 4.77
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 11.38 14.54
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 6.59 7.35
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 7.93 2.98
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 2.95 -1.59
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 2.23 2.00
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 2.04 -7.69
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 14.19 16.46
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 267.55 9.11
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 12.82
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.00 0.92
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 0.00 11.25
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 1.58 2.65
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -1,490.79 -96.96
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 46.82 2.29
Dividend Growth (1y) % Dividend Growth (1y) % 0.00 -2.46
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 11.41 -142.06
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 5.51 -154.15
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) -2.71 -155.18
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) -10.18 -206.88
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 13.04 -158.13
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 4.96 -5.66
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) -4.17 -1.42
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.29 0.82
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.00 0.19
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 2.71 0.76
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 3.67 2.31
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 4.89 -2.80
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 1.58 2.65
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 1.58 2.65
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 29.10 -32.28
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 19.57 -37.76
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 7.17 -40.89
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 74.10 50.05
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 5.30 -42.94