New York, June 10, 2013 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") assigned a Caa1 corporate family
rating and a Caa1-PD probability of default rating for Dex Media,
Inc. ("Dex Media" or "the company"). The ratings agency
also assigned a Caa3 (LGD6-95%) rating to Dex Media's
senior subordinated notes due 2017, a Caa1 (LGD3-45%)
rating to the term loans of R.H. Donnelley Inc. ("RHDI"),
Dex Media West Inc. ("DMW"), Dex Media East Inc.
("DME"), SuperMedia Inc. ("SuperMedia")
and a SGL-2 speculative grade liquidity rating. The rating
outlook is negative.
Moody's has taken the following rating actions:
Issuer: Dex Media, Inc.
Corporate Family Rating -- Assigned Caa1
Probability of Default Rating -- Assigned Caa1-PD
Outlook -- Negative
Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating -- Assigned SGL-2
Senior Subordinated Notes due 1/29/17 -- Assigned Caa3,
LGD6-95%
Issuer: R.H. Donnelley, Inc.
Outlook -- Negative
Senior Secured Term Loan due 12/31/16 -- Assigned Caa1,
LGD3-45%
Issuer: Dex Media West, Inc.
Outlook -- Negative
Senior Secured Term Loan due 12/31/16-- Assigned Caa1,
LGD3-45%
Issuer: Dex Media East, Inc.
Outlook -- Negative
Senior Secured Term Loan due 12/31/16 -- Assigned Caa1,
LGD3-45%
Issuer: SuperMedia Inc.
Outlook -- Negative
Senior Secured Term Loan due 12/31/16 -- Assigned Caa1,
LGD3-45%
RATINGS RATIONALE
Dex Media's Caa1 corporate family rating ("CFR") is
supported by its position as the second largest print and digital yellow
pages business in the U.S., modest EBITDA margins,
low capital intensity, and the company's ability to generate
relatively predictable, albeit declining, levels of free cash
flows. These strengths are offset by the company's highly
leveraged capital structure, a fairly rapid structural decline in
the print directory segment, difficulties growing the digital business,
expanding competitive challenges and very low barriers to entry in digital
advertising. Finally, a prior history of the company opportunistically
repurchasing debt at a discount (which Moody's considered distressed
exchanges) weighs on the rating. Moody's believes that purchases
at a discount are likely in the future since the company amended its bank
covenants to make it possible to repurchase additional bank debt on the
open market through the end of 2016.
Dex Media is attempting to reinvent its business by reducing its reliance
on print advertising through the development of digital and mobile directory
service applications. However, we have doubts that the company
will be able to transition its business away from a reliance on print
directories quickly enough to stabilize its revenues and earnings.
It also remains to be seen whether the business model is viable.
We project double-digit declines in net revenues and declines in
EBITDA of about 10% in both 2013 and 2014. We also expect
that the relatively robust levels of free cash flow that the company is
currently generating will decline at an accelerating pace over time.
Dex Media will continue its focus on reducing costs to maximize operating
efficiency. Offsetting some of the revenue decline and margin pressure
is the company's expected annual run-rate expense synergies
of about $150-175 million, which are expected to be
fully realized in 2015, and $200-275 million of cash
flow due to the preservation of Dex One tax attributes.
The senior secured term loans at RHDI, DMW, DME, and
SuperMedia are all rated Caa1 (LGD3-45%) reflecting their
structural seniority to Dex Media's $220 million of senior
subordinated notes. The subordinated notes are rated Caa3 (LGD6-95%)
and would likely experience meaningful loss in the event of another default.
The company is restricted from making open market repurchases of its subordinated
notes during the credit agreement period and is required to PIK half of
the interest on these securities. Each of the credit facilities
are separate facilities with no cross guarantees or collateralization
provision among the entities, subject to certain exceptions.
The Shared Guarantee and Collateral agreement has certain cross guarantee
and collaterization provisions among Dex entities, but excluding
SuperMedia and its subsidiaries. However, an event of default
by one of the entities could trigger a call on the applicable guarantor.
An event of default by a guarantor on a guarantee obligation could be
an event of default under the applicable credit agreement, and if
demand is made under the guarantee and the creditor accelerates the indebtedness,
failure to satisfy such claims in full would in turn trigger a default
under all of the other credit facilities. A subordinated guarantee
also provides that SuperMedia and each significant Dex entity guarantees
the obligations of the other such entities, including SuperMedia,
provided that no claim may be made on such guarantee until the senior
secured debt of such entity is satisfied and discharged.
The SGL-2 speculative grade liquidity rating reflects Dex Media's
ability to service its required debt amortizations and excess cash flow
sweep payments at each of its subsidiaries and approximately $340
million of projected free cash flow in 2013. Free cash flow generation
is critical to liquidity and the Caa1 CFR due to the absence of a revolver.
Moody's anticipates DMW, DME and RHDI will have at least a 15%
EBITDA cushion within the financial maintenance covenants over the next
12-18 months.
The negative rating outlook reflects Moody's expectation that Dex Media
will opportunistically repurchase debt at a discount in the future.
The ratings are unlikely to be upgraded due to the secular decline of
the print business and low barriers to entry in the digital segment.
The ratings could be lowered if the print business erodes faster than
expected (about 20% per year) and the digital business fails to
grow, leading to a more-than-expected rapid decline
in free cash flow and less debt reduction, or if leverage (Moody's
adjusted) remains above 3.8x.
The principal methodology used in this rating was Global Publishing Industry
published in December 2011. 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 these methodologies.
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.
Dennis Saputo
Senior Vice President
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
John Diaz
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Moody's assigns Caa1 corporate family rating to Dex Media