NOTE: On January 25, 2013, the press release was revised as follows: In the first paragraph, first sentence, the maturity on the notes has been corrected to 2021. Revised release follows.
New York, January 22, 2013 -- Moody's Investors Service assigned a B1 (LGD 3, 39%) rating
to Tenet Healthcare Corporation's (Tenet) offering of $850 million
of senior secured notes due 2021. Moody's existing ratings of the
company, including the B2 Corporate Family Rating and B2-PD
Probability of Default Rating, remain unchanged. The rating
outlook remains positive.
Moody's understands that the proceeds of the offerings will be used to
fund the tender for the 10.0% senior secured notes due 2018
resulting in an improved maturity profile and interest cost savings.
Any proceeds remaining after funding the tender for the $714 million
of outstanding 10% senior secured notes will be used for general
corporate purposes. Moody's will withdraw the ratings on
the 10% senior secured notes upon the successful completion of
the tender offer.
Following is a summary of Moody's rating actions.
Ratings assigned:
$850 million senior secured notes due 2021, B1 (LGD 3,
39%)
Ratings unchanged:
6.25% senior secured notes due 2018, B1 (LGD 3,
39%)
10.0% senior secured notes due 2018, B1 (LGD 3,
39%) (to be withdrawn following the completion of the announced
tender offer)
8.875% senior secured notes due 2019, B1 (LGD 3,
39%)
4.75% senior secured notes due 2020, B1 (LGD 3,
39%)
7.375% senior notes due 2013, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
9.875% senior notes due 2014, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
9.25% senior notes due 2015, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
6.75% senior notes due 2020, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
8.0% senior notes due 2020, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
6.875% senior notes due 2031, Caa1 (LGD 5, 87%)
Corporate Family Rating, B2
Probability of Default Rating, B2-PD
Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating, SGL-2
RATINGS RATIONALE
Tenet's B2 Corporate Family Rating is constrained by Moody's expectation
of modest free cash flow and continued high geographic concentration.
Furthermore, industry challenges like high bad debt expense,
weak volume trends and changes in mix as commercial volumes decline,
will likely challenge organic growth. However, the rating
also incorporates Moody's expectation that the company will continue to
see improvements in operating performance, driven by cost savings
initiatives and benefits from capital investment.
The positive outlook reflects Moody's expectation that EBITDA growth will
continue and result in gradually improving free cash flow and reduced
leverage.
Moody's could upgrade the rating if the company is able to effectively
manage growth of the business such that leverage remains at or below 4.5
times while earnings growth continues to result in improving credit metrics.
Moody's could downgrade the rating if a decline in operating performance
results in an expectation that debt to EBITDA will rise above 5.5
times or if free cash flow, prior to discretionary reinvestment
in the business, is expected to be negative. Furthermore,
a significant debt financed acquisition or share repurchase could result
in a downgrade of the ratings.
For further details, refer to Moody's Credit Opinion for Tenet Healthcare
Corporation on moodys.com.
Tenet, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is one of the
largest for-profit hospital operators by revenues. At September
30, 2012 the company's subsidiaries operated 49 hospitals
as well as 112 free-standing and provider-based outpatient
centers. The company also offers other services, including
revenue cycle management, health care information management and
patient communications services. Tenet generated revenue of approximately
$9.9 billion for the twelve months ended September 30,
2012 before consideration of the provision for doubtful accounts.
The principal methodology used in this rating was the Global Healthcare
Service Providers published in December 2011. Other methodologies
used include Loss Given Default for Speculative-Grade Non-Financial
Companies in the U.S., Canada and EMEA published in
June 2009. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the
support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive
rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt,
in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed
prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would
have affected the rating. For further information please see the
ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this rating action, and
whose ratings may change as a result of this rating action, the
associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Dean Diaz
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Peter H. Abdill, CFA
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Moody's rates Tenet's proposed sr. secured notes B1; outlook remains positive