Hong Kong, December 12, 2018 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed Hongkong Land Holdings Limited's
(HKLH) A3 issuer rating and The Hongkong Land Company, Limited's
(HKLC) A2 issuer rating.
At the same time, Moody's has affirmed the following ratings,
which are unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by HKLC: (1)
the provisional (P)A2 senior unsecured ratings on the medium-term
note (MTN) programs for The Hongkong Land Finance (C.I) Company
Limited, The Hongkong Land Treasury Serv. (Sing) Pte.
Ltd. and The Hongkong Land Notes Company Limited; and (2)
the A2 ratings on the senior unsecured notes pursuant the MTN programs.
The rating outlooks are stable.
RATINGS RATIONALE
"HKLC's A2 issuer rating reflects the company's strong
franchise in Hong Kong and long operating history," says Stephanie
Lau, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst.
"The rating also recognizes HKLC's quality investment properties
in prime Asian locations, with high occupancy rates and stable rental
income through the economic cycles," adds Lau.
HKLH's Grade-A office, retail and hotel space in the
heart of Hong Kong's central business district is a key contributor
to its underlying operating profit and gross asset. The company
also has investment properties located in China, Singapore,
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia.
At the same time, the ratings are constrained by the group's
residential development activities, which add volatility to the
group's earnings and cash flow. However, such risks
are mitigated by its geographic diversification and partnership with reputable
local market players.
Moody's expects that the debt leverage -- as measured by adjusted
debt/EBITDA - of HKLC's parent, HKLH, will rise
moderately to 4.6x-4.9x over the next 12-18
months, from 4.0x in 2017. This expectation reflects
the land premium payable and capital spending of its property development
projects. Nevertheless, this level of leverage positions
the group appropriately at the A3 rating category.
HKLH's liquidity profile is supported by its large cash holdings of around
$1.8 billion and unutilized committed standby bank facilities
of $2.2 billion as of June 2018. These cash sources,
together with its stable operating cash flow, are sufficient to
cover the group's short-term debt of $355 million and outstanding
land premium obligations over the next 12 months.
HKLH's A3 rating is one notch below the A2 rating of its major operating
subsidiary, HKLC, reflecting HKLH's holding company status
and the risk of structural subordination.
The rating outlooks are stable, reflecting Moody's expectation
that the company will maintain its prudent financial management and expansion
strategy.
Upward ratings pressure could emerge if earnings and diversification from
HKLH's investment property business increase further, and the company's
financial leverage improves. Specifically, upward rating
pressure could arise if HKLH's (1) commercial property's underlying profit
covers 6.5x-7.0x or more of its gross interest on
a sustained basis, and (2) adjusted debt/EBITDA remains below 3.0x
on a sustained basis.
Downward ratings pressure could emerge if HKLH engages in material debt-funded
investments, which could impair the group's financial profile,
such that its adjusted debt/EBITDA exceeds 5.0x-5.5x
and its adjusted EBITDA/interest falls below 5.0x.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was REITs and Other Commercial
Real Estate Firms published in September 2018. Please see the Rating
Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this
methodology.
Hongkong Land Holdings Limited (HKLH), established in 1889 and listed
in London, Singapore and Bermuda, is a leading Asian property
investment, management and development group.
HKLH's portfolio is focused on Hong Kong, where the group owns and
manages around 4.9 million square feet of commercial property through
its subsidiary, The Hongkong Land Company, Limited (HKLC).
HKLH is 50% owned by the major conglomerate Jardine Strategic Holdings
Limited (A1 stable).
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 credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to
each particular credit 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 credit rating action,
and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit 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.
Moody's considers a rated entity or its agent(s) to be participating
when it maintains an overall relationship with Moody's. Unless
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the rated entities are participating and the rated entities or their agent(s)
generally provide Moody's with information for the purposes of its
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the Regulatory Disclosures for each credit rating action under the ratings
tab on the issuer/entity page and for details of Moody's Policy
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Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
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.
The first name below is the lead rating analyst for this Credit Rating
and the last name below is the person primarily responsible for approving
this Credit Rating.
Stephanie Lau
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service Hong Kong Ltd.
24/F One Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Hong Kong
China (Hong Kong S.A.R.)
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Chris Park
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Hong Kong Ltd.
24/F One Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Hong Kong
China (Hong Kong S.A.R.)
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077