Hyliion Holdings Corp. — financial distress indicators
Financial-health summary
Hyliion Holdings Corp.'s reported numbers place it in the 'Watch' financial-health band (distress score 40/100). The main indicators are losses in each of the last 3 years, operations consume cash and ohlson o-score signals likely failure. Independently, the Ohlson accounting model puts its 1-year failure probability at 100% and the market-implied (Merton) default probability is 0.0%. In its favour: cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet).
Stress by dimension
Share price — last 12 months
Indicators behind the score
Each red flag shows the evidence from the company’s own filings and the financial or legal principle behind it. Points add to the 0–100 score.
Net income negative in 3 of 3 fiscal years.
Persistent losses erode equity and the capacity to absorb shocks.
Operating cash flow negative in 3 of the last 3 years.
A business that cannot fund itself from operations depends on external capital to survive.
O-score 7.21 → model probability 100%.
Ohlson (1980) logit model of 1-year corporate failure; O > 0 (p > 50%) is the original failure cut-off.
Cash covers ~12 months of free-cash-flow burn.
Funding needs within two years make the company dependent on capital-market access.
Revenue vs net income
Cash generation
Debt vs cash vs equity
✅ Mitigating factors
- Cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet).
- Strong current ratio (10.09).
- Revenue still growing (+130% YoY).
📰 Recent news scan
- HYLN Shareholder Alert: Hyliion Holdings Corp. Securities Class Action Lawsuit - Investors With Losses May Contact SueWallSt - MorningstarGoogle News · 2026-10-08
- Levi & Korsinsky Reminds Shareholders of a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of October 27, 2026 in Hyliion Holdings Corp. Lawsuit - HYLN - PR NewswireGoogle News · 2026-10-07
- SHAREHOLDER ALERT Bernstein Liebhard LLP Announces A - GlobeNewswireGoogle News · 2026-10-06
- EXCLUSIVE: Hyliion CEO Reveals Why He Thinks KARNO Is A Better ‘Mousetrap’ Than Bloom Energy’s Fuel Cells - StocktwitsGoogle News · 2026-10-05
- $HYLN stock is down 9% today. Here's what we see in our data. - Quiver QuantitativeGoogle News · 2026-10-05
- Is Hyliion (HYLN) Stock Outpacing Its Auto-Tires-Trucks Peers This Year? - Yahoo FinanceGoogle News · 2026-09-30
⚖️ U.S. legal pathway — Title 11, U.S. Code
Which chapter would apply?
- Chapter 11 — reorganisation. Management usually stays in control as debtor-in-possession; the automatic stay (§362) halts collection; a plan must meet the best-interests test (§1129(a)(7)) and the absolute priority rule (§1129(b)) — creditors are paid before shareholders, who are frequently wiped out.
- Chapter 7 — liquidation. A trustee sells assets and distributes proceeds by statutory priority (§§507, 726).
- Subchapter V (“Chapter 5”) is a fast track for small-business debtors under a statutory debt cap, but SEC-reporting companies are excluded (§101(51D)) — so it rarely applies to listed companies.
What typically triggers a filing
- Payment default or covenant breach lenders will not waive; a debt maturity that cannot be refinanced.
- Auditor going-concern doubt (ASC 205-40 / PCAOB AS 2415) — often itself a default trigger in loan agreements.
- Creditors can force a case with an involuntary petition (§303) if debts are not paid as they come due.
- Delisting after sustained sub-$1 prices or equity deficits cuts off equity funding.
Transactions shortly before filing can be clawed back (preferences — 90 days, §547; fraudulent transfers — 2 years, §548).
Frequently asked questions
What do Hyliion Holdings Corp.'s financial-health indicators show?
As of 2026-10-08, Hyliion Holdings Corp.'s public financial data places it in the 'Watch' band with a distress score of 40/100, driven by losses in each of the last 3 years, operations consume cash and ohlson o-score signals likely failure. This is a statistical screen of reported numbers — it does not mean the company is insolvent, has defaulted or will enter insolvency proceedings.
What is Hyliion Holdings Corp.'s financial distress score?
40/100 ('Watch'). Ohlson O-score 7.21 (model 1-year failure probability 100%). Merton distance-to-default 6.32 σ (model default probability 0.0%).
What works in Hyliion Holdings Corp.'s favour?
Cash on hand covers all debt (net-cash balance sheet). Strong current ratio (10.09). Revenue still growing (+130% YoY).
How are shareholders treated if a company enters insolvency?
In a Chapter 11 reorganisation the absolute priority rule pays secured lenders, then unsecured creditors, before shareholders — so existing shares are usually cancelled or heavily diluted. In Chapter 7 the company is liquidated and shareholders rarely recover anything.
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Methodology
Score = capped sum of rule-based red flags across seven dimensions (liquidity, solvency, profitability, cash flow, sales trend, market signal, news). Ohlson O-score (1980) gives an accounting-based 1-year failure probability; Merton distance-to-default (Bharath & Shumway 2008) gives a market-implied probability. Financial institutions use a capital-based rule set. Recalculated every trading day from the latest filings, prices and news.