New York, January 19, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings -and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical units for the rated entity(entities) listed below.
The review was conducted through a portfolio review discussion held on 12 January 2023 in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. A possible outcome from periodic reviews is a referral of a rating to a rating committee.
This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement.
Key Rating Considerations
The principal methodology used for the rated entities listed below was Retail published in November 2021. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Key rating considerations on a forward-looking basis may include but are not limited to the following summarized below.
Retail
Scale: Scale for retailers carries many benefits, from buying power with vendors to potential price leadership, both of which can result in meaningful competitive advantages versus smaller companies. Scale is measured using total reported revenue.
Business Profile: In the retail industry, those companies that are characterized by selling products with relatively inelastic demand are viewed as less vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences or competitive threats than are companies that offer more discretionary products or products with more elastic demand. This business profile is based on two sub-factors: stability of product and execution & competitive position.
Leverage and Coverage: Financial leverage and coverage measures are indicators of a company's financial flexibility and long-term viability. Financial flexibility is critical to retailers as they adapt their businesses to almost constant changes in consumer behavior. Among others, ratios such as Debt/ EBITDA, EBIT/ Interest Expense, and Retained Cash Flow/ Net Debt are indicators of leverage and coverage.
Financial Policy: Management and board tolerance for financial risk is considered as it directly affects debt levels, credit quality, and the risk of adverse changes in financing and capital structure. Our assessment of financial policies includes the perceived tolerance of a company's governing board and management for financial risk and the future direction for the company's capital structure. Considerations include a company's public commitments in this area, its track record for adhering to commitments, and our views on the ability of the company to achieve its targets.
Other Factors: Other factors may include, but are not limited to: financial controls and the quality of financial reporting; corporate legal structure; the quality and experience of management; assessments of corporate governance as well as environmental and social considerations; exposure to uncertain licensing regimes; and possible government interference in some countries. Regulatory, litigation, liquidity, technology, and reputational risk as well as changes to consumer and business spending patterns, competitor strategies and macroeconomic trends also affect ratings.
7-Eleven, Inc.
Albertsons Companies, Inc.
Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Apro, LLC
ARKO Corp.
Army and Air Force Exchange Service
BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
BW Gas & Convenience Holdings, LLC
Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd.
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Fanatics Commerce Intermediate Holdco, LLC
FR Refuel, LLC
GOBP Holdings, Inc.
Guitar Center Inc. (NEW)
Ingles Markets, Incorporated
Kroger Co. (The)
Mattress Firm, Inc.
Murphy Oil USA Inc.
Parkland Corporation
Pilot Travel Centers LLC
Rising Tide Holdings, Inc.
Sally Holdings LLC
SEG Holding, LLC
Sweetwater Borrower, LLC
Target Corporation
Tory Burch LLC
Walmart Inc.
The principal methodology used for the rated entities listed below was Government-Related Issuers Methodology published in February 2020. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Key rating considerations on a forward-looking basis may include but are not limited to the following summarized below.
Government-Related Issuers Methodology
Assigning a Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA): The majority of Government-Related Issuers (GRIs) begin with an assessment of the GRI's standalone strength (i.e. BCA) its ability to service and repay outstanding debt without recourse to extraordinary support from the supporting government - using the published sector-specific methodology that is most suitable for the predominant activities of the GRI. Our assessment of standalone strength includes any day-to-day support received from the government that can be clearly distinguished from extraordinary support. Support mechanisms, such as an obligation of the government to ensure the GRI's solvency and liquidity, are reflected in the BCA when they are legally or contractually documented.
Government uplift: The GRI's ratings include any uplift due to systemic support and typically focus on three structural factors and three factors explaining the level of the government's willingness to provide support. Structural factors address the legal and quasi-legal aspects of the government's relationship with the GRI and include: (1) guarantees, (2) ownership level and (3) barriers to support. The factors underlying willingness consider the softer connections between the two entities and include (4) the likelihood of government intervention, (5) political linkages and (6) economic importance. Support is determined using a joint default analysis framework which considers an estimate of the likelihood of extraordinary support, an assessment of the credit quality of the supporting government, and default correlation between the two entities.
GRIs without a BCA: In limited instances, it is not possible or meaningful to assign a BCA. The GRI is so inextricably linked to the government that a meaningful standalone BCA cannot be derived. In such cases, a top-down analytical approach is used that chiefly considers the ability and willingness of the government to provide timely support, instead of the usual bottom-up approach of starting with the BCA and then considering uplift towards the government's rating.
Army and Air Force Exchange Service
This announcement applies only to Rated Entities with EU rated, UK rated, EU endorsed and UK endorsed ratings. Rated Entities, with Non EU rated, non UK rated, non EU endorsed and non UK endorsed ratings may be referenced herein to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.
Please see the Issuer page on https://ratings.moodys.com for each of the ratings covered, most updated credit rating action, rating history, and Credit Rating action Press Release including the rating rationale and factors that could lead to a rating upgrade or downgrade.
This publication does not announce a credit rating action.
For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the issuer/deal page on https://ratings.moodys.com
for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.
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