Hong Kong, February 28, 2019 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Baa2 senior unsecured rating
to the proposed USD notes to be issued by Vanke Real Estate (Hong Kong)
Company Limited under its USD7 billion medium-term note program
(MTN, (P)Baa2).
The rating outlook is stable.
The proposed notes will be supported by a deed of equity interest purchase
undertaking and a keepwell deed between China Vanke Co.,
Ltd. (Baa1 stable) — which owns a 100% stake in Vanke
Real Estate — Vanke Real Estate (collectively the Vanke group),
and the bond trustee.
The proceeds from the issuance will be mainly used to refinance offshore
indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.
RATINGS RATIONALE
"The new issuance will lengthen the Vanke group's debt maturity
profile and will not materially affect the group's financial profile,
because the proceeds will be used mainly for refinancing existing indebtedness,"
says Kaven Tsang, a Moody's Senior Vice President.
The Baa2 rating for the notes incorporates Vanke Real Estate's ba2-level
standalone credit strength and a three-notch rating uplift from
China Vanke, reflecting Moody's expectation that China Vanke will
provide financial support to Vanke Real Estate in times of stress.
Vanke Real Estate's standalone credit profile reflects the mid-sized
scale of its operations in Mainland China and its fairly diversified geographic
coverage; both factors of which are comparable to that for its Ba-rated
Chinese property development peers.
Vanke Real Estate's standalone credit profile also factors in the
operational and financial benefits arising from its close linkages to
its parent, China Vanke, such as the parent's brand,
execution and management expertise, as well as China Vanke's
very diversified sales network and good access to funding.
The support assessment is based on: (1) China Vanke's full ownership
of and operating support for Vanke Real Estate, with the latter
forming a highly integrated part of the group; (2) Vanke Real Estate's
role as the group's core platform for raising offshore funding to support
projects in the group's home markets; and (3) China Vanke's track
record of providing direct funding for Vanke Real Estate's projects.
China Vanke's Baa1 issuer rating continues to reflect its strong track
record and branding in China's property market, as well as disciplined
financial management, with solid financial metrics through the cycles.
China Vanke achieved 14.5% year-on-year growth
in contracted sales to RMB607.0 billion in 2018. This scale
of contracted sales positioned the company among the top three developers
in China.
Moody's expects China Vanke's revenue/adjusted debt will improve to around
140% over the next 12-18 months from 113.3%
for the 12 months ended 30 June 2018, because a robust growth in
revenue — supported by strong contracted sales over the last two
years — will more than offset a likely increase in debt.
At the same time, its net debt/net capitalization will remain healthy
and in the 25%-30% range over the next 12-18
months, broadly unchanged from 28.6% at 30 June 2018.
These ratios are in line with its current Baa1 issuer rating.
China Vanke's liquidity is strong, underpinned by its ample cash
holdings of RMB159.6 billion at 30 June 2018. Its cash/short-term
debt coverage remains healthy at 2.6x at 30 June 2018.
In Moody's view, the rating on the notes is unaffected by
subordination to claims at the operating company level, because
Moody's expects that support from the parent will flow through the
holding company.
The stable outlook on China Vanke's issuer rating reflects Moody's expectation
that the company will maintain financial discipline and healthy credit
metrics over the next 12-18 months, as it pursues further
growth.
Moody's could upgrade China Vanke's issuer rating if the company:
(1) achieves strong recurring income that can buffer against the volatility
associated with its development business; and (2) maintains low debt
leverage, with adjusted net debt/net capitalization below 20%
and revenue/adjusted debt above 200% on a sustained basis.
Moody's could downgrade the issuer rating, if the company's
performance and/or financial position are materially and adversely affected
by regulatory changes, aggressive debt-funded expansion or
severe down-market conditions.
Credit metrics indicative of downgrade rating pressure include adjusted
net debt/net capitalization exceeding 30%, and revenue/adjusted
debt falling below 140%-145% on a sustained basis.
Any signs of weakening liquidity — such that the company's cash
holdings fall below 1.25x-1.50x of short-term
debt on a sustained basis, or if China Vanke demonstrates a reduced
ability to access the bank or capital markets — would also weigh
on its rating.
The principal methodology used in this rating was Homebuilding And Property
Development Industry published in January 2018. Please see the
Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of
this methodology.
China Vanke Co., Ltd. was founded in 1984 and started
its real estate operations in 1988. It is one of the largest property
developers in China by contracted sales. At 30 June 2018,
it had an attributable land bank of 88.7 million square meters
in gross floor area across China's four major economic regions of Shanghai,
northern, southern, and central and western China.
The company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1991 and on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) in 2014.
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
noted in the Regulatory Disclosures as a Non-Participating Entity,
the rated entity is participating and the rated entity or its agent(s)
generally provides Moody's with information for the purposes of
its ratings process. Please refer to www.moodys.com
for the Regulatory Disclosures for each credit rating action under the
ratings tab on the issuer/entity page and for details of Moody's
Policy for Designating Non-Participating Rated Entities.
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.
Kaven Tsang
Senior Vice President
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
Franco Leung
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
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