Approximately EUR203 million of rated debt affected
London, 08 November 2012 -- Moody's Investors Service has today affirmed the B1 corporate family
rating (CFR) and probability of default rating (PDR) as well as the B3
rating on the EUR203 million senior unsecured notes due 2018 of ALBA Group
plc & Co. KG ("ALBA Group"), a holding company
for a group focused on waste management, recycling and environmental
services. Concurrently, Moody's has changed the outlook
on all the ratings to negative from stable.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The affirmation of the ALBA Group's ratings follows the company's
announcement that it has completed the refinancing of its senior secured
bank loan facilities due in December 2013. The new EUR400 million
of bank loan facilities, which have a final maturity in October
2017, benefit from a similar security package as the previous loans
and as such do not alter the capital structure of the group. Indeed,
the loans improve the group's liquidity profile and reduce refinancing
risk in the medium term.
The change in rating outlook to negative reflects ALBA Group's still
high debt levels in the more challenging economic environment and the
low visibility with regard to the timing of any future recovery in the
commodity markets. While Moody's acknowledges the measures
ALBA Group has taken to improve the efficiency of its operations,
the rating agency believes there is a risk that demand for collection
and processing of waste is likely to remain weak over the medium term
and that the commodity markets will remain subdued. Consequently,
ALBA Group has not been able to deleverage to the extent previously envisaged
and may be challenged to do so in the future to the extent that the group's
financial profile may remain at a level inconsistent with guidance for
the B1 CFR, including de-leveraging to below 4.5x
on a debt/EBITDA (Moody's adjusted) basis in the short term.
In H1 2012, ALBA Group reported EBITDA of EUR87 million, which
represented a decline of 7% on a consolidated basis compared with
the same period of the previous year. The deterioration in the
group's earnings was driven by weak demand and declining prices
as a result of the more challenging economic environment. ALBA
Group's waste operations and trading activities reported a decline
in EBITDA of 11% as markets became more competitive and margins
came under pressure, whilst at the same time the group's operating
costs were up as a result of higher fuel prices. A similar reduction
in EBITDA was reported by the group's scrap and metals division
on the back of the subdued commodity markets and increased pressure on
margins. The only division of ALBA Group to report growth in EBITDA
was services, owing to the closing of a major unprofitable contract.
Looking ahead, Moody's cautions that demand from industrial
customers is likely to remain weak and ALBA Group's margins could
be squeezed. At the same time, ALBA Group's trading
activities will continue to be exposed to significant volatility in the
commodity markets for paper, ferrous and non-ferrous scrap,
with both volumes and prices coming under pressure. Consequently,
Moody's estimates that ALBA Group's EBITDA for full year 2012
will decline compared with the previous year, thus impeding the
process of de-leveraging.
The B1 CFR primarily reflects the competitive nature of the markets in
which ALBA Group operates, its limited scale and high financial
leverage. ALBA Group's credit quality is further constrained
by a structurally low margin, particularly in the case of the group's
low-value-added steel and metals trading business,
as well as the cyclicality of its key markets. More positively,
the rating continues to recognise ALBA Group's long track record
of operations and well-established position as a leading regional
waste and recycling operator in Germany. The rating also reflects
the group's diverse operations across the whole value chain of waste
management and recycling activities, which limits its reliance on
any particular market or business line.
ALBA Group's current ratings are based on Moody's expectation
that the group will maintain adequate liquidity to support its business
operations and fund any working capital fluctuations in the volatile commodity
markets. Following refinancing of bank debt in October 2012,
the group's liquidity is supported by cash on the balance sheet
of EUR49 million and a EUR200 million revolving credit facility (of which
EUR111 million currently undrawn) with a final maturity in 2017.
Amortisation of the term loans is limited, although the rating agency
notes that covenant headroom may tighten over time.
WHAT COULD CHANGE THE RATING UP/DOWN
Given the current negative outlook, Moody's does not expect
upward rating pressure in the intermediate term. However,
the rating agency could change the outlook back to stable if ALBA Group
evidences a reduction in debt/ EBITDA in a way that is consistent with
the current ratings.
However, downward rating pressure could develop if the group's
leverage on a debt/EBITDA basis were above 4.5x for a prolonged
time and/or liquidity concerns arise.
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGIES
ALBA Group's ratings were assigned by evaluating factors that Moody's
considers relevant to the credit profile of the issuer, such as
the company's (i) business risk and competitive position compared with
others within the industry; (ii) capital structure and financial
risk; (iii) projected performance over the near to intermediate term;
and (iv) management's track record and tolerance for risk. Moody's
compared these attributes against other issuers both within and outside
ALBA Group's core industry and believes ALBA Group's ratings
are comparable to those of other issuers with similar credit risk.
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 this methodology.
ALBA Group plc & Co. KG, headquartered in Berlin,
is a holding company for a group focused on waste management, recycling
and environmental services. ALBA Group currently owns a 85.324%
share in the capital stock of ALBA SE (previously Interseroh SE),
a Cologne-based recycling and raw materials trading company,
with the remaining 14.676% being publicly held. Axel
and Eric Schweitzer, the sons of ALBA Group's founder,
each indirectly own 50% of the capital of ALBA Group. The
group reported consolidated revenues of EUR3.2 billion for FYE
31 December 2011.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides relevant 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 relevant 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 relevant 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.
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the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has
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Joanna Fic
Asst Vice President - Analyst
Infrastructure Finance
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Andrew Blease
Senior Vice President
Infrastructure Finance
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
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JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
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Moody's affirms ALBA Group's ratings (CFR at B1), changes outlook to negative from stable