Hong Kong, January 23, 2014 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Baa3 senior unsecured rating
to the proposed bond to be issued by Wanda Properties International Co.
Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wanda Commercial Properties
(Hong Kong) Co. Limited (Wanda HK, Baa3 stable).
The rating outlook is stable.
The bond is guaranteed by Wanda HK, which is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co., Ltd
(Wanda Commercial Properties, Baa2 stable, together with Wanda
HK, Wanda Group).
In addition to the guarantee by Wanda HK, the bond is also supported
by a deed of equity interest purchase undertaking and a keepwell deed
between Wanda Commercial Properties, Wanda HK and the bond trustee.
An interest reserve account will be set up for the issuer to deposit two
periods of interest payments on the bond.
The proceeds of the proposed issuance will be used to fund Wanda HK's
projects in China and overseas, and for general corporate purposes.
RATINGS RATIONALE
"The new debt issue will strengthen Wanda Group's liquidity and
extend its debt maturity profile," says Kaven Tsang, a Moody's
Vice President and Senior Analyst.
The new issue will also help diversify the Group's funding access
and debt structure.
"These benefits partly mitigate a moderate rise in the group's debt
leverage," adds Tsang, who is also the Lead Analyst for the
Group.
Moody's expects Wanda Commercial Properties' EBITDA/interest
will be in the 4.0x-5.0x range for the next two years.
Meanwhile, its net debt/net capitalization will stay below 40%.
These ratios match its Baa2 issuer rating.
Wanda HK's Baa3 issuer rating continues to reflect its currently
weak standalone credit profile and incorporates a three-notch rating
uplift, based on expected strong financial and operating support
from its parent, Wanda Commercial Properties.
Moody's expects Wanda HK will grow in size in the next 2 to 3 years
through asset acquisitions, which will in turn strengthen its operating
profile and geographic diversity.
Nevertheless, its credit profile will stay weak over the near term,
and it has to rely on Wanda Commercial Properties' support for its operations
and credit profile. This support better positions Wanda HK to manage
its business and execution risks associated with its small scale and lack
of diversification.
Wanda HK's rating is also constrained by the company's high
debt leverage with an expected debt/total capitalization of around 80%
post the bond issuance.
The Baa3 senior unsecured rating for the proposed bond also reflects our
expectation of (1) the absence of subordination risk to bondholders,
and (2) the availability of financial support from Wanda Commercial Properties
to Wanda HK.
At the same time, the stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation
that Wanda HK will obtain full operating and financial support from Wanda
Commercial Properties, and that it will execute its business plan
to grow its assets and contracted sales.
Upward rating pressure for Wanda HK is limited in the near term.
Moody's would consider a rating upgrade in the longer term if Wanda HK
can (1) successfully implement its business plan; (2) materially
improve its scale and diversity; and (3) improve its credit profile,
such that adjusted debt/capitalization falls below 50%-55%
and EBITDA/interest rises above 3.5x-4x on a consistent
basis.
Wanda HK's rating could come under downward pressure if it (1) fails to
execute its asset acquisitions according to its business plan in the next
12 months, such that its scale, sales and operating cash flow
generation are weaker than anticipated, and its total contracted
sales fail to trend towards RMB10-15 billion by end-2015;
and/or (2) materially accelerates development, and executes an aggressive
land acquisition plan, such that EBITDA/interest fails to trend
towards 2x-2.5x in the next 2-3 years after the proposed
bond issuance.
Any evidence of any reduction in ownership, or weakening in the
support from Wanda Commercial Properties, or a deterioration in
Wanda Commercial Properties' own credit profile could also be negative
for the ratings.
Wanda Properties International Co. Limited'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 Wanda Properties International Co.
Limited's core industry and believes Wanda Properties International
Co. Limited's ratings are comparable to those of other issuers
with similar credit risk.
Wanda Commercial Properties (Hong Kong) Co. Limited was incorporated
on 6 February 2013 as the sole offshore funding and investment platform
for Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co., Ltd. It
is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties
Co., Ltd.
Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co., Ltd develops,
operates and sells integrated properties -- including shopping
malls, offices, residential houses, and hotels --
in China. As of 30 June 2013, it had a total land bank of
64.3 million sqm in gross floor area (GFA). At the same
time, it had 13.6 million sqm of GFA in completed investment
properties and hotels. As of 30 June 2013, the company operated
71 Wanda Plazas and 39 hotels across 50 cities in China.
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.
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
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
SUBSCRIBERS: (852) 3551-3077
Gary Lau
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: (852) 3758 -1350
SUBSCRIBERS: (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
SUBSCRIBERS: (852) 3551-3077
Moody's assigns Baa3 rating to Wanda's proposed bond