Approximately $435 million of debt securities rated
New York, August 04, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service assigned a B3 Corporate Family Rating and a
B3-PD Probability of Default Rating to Osmose Utilities Services,
Inc. ("Osmose"), a B2 rating to the company's
proposed first lien senior secured credit facilities consisting of $275
million term loan due 2022 and $45 million revolving credit facility
expiring 2020, and a Caa2 rating to proposed $115 million
second lien term loan due 2023. The rating outlook is stable.
Osmose has entered into a definitive agreement whereby Kohlberg &
Company will acquire the company from its current owners Oaktree Capital
Management, L.P. The transaction will be financed
with the term loan proceeds and an equity contribution from the sponsor.
The transaction increases the company's debt significantly (by approximately
$150 million) to $390 million, which results in a
total debt level in excess of revenues and pro forma debt-to-EBITDA
leverage rising to approximately 7.3x (incorporating the beneficial
impact of recently renegotiated contracts). The company's
highly leveraged balance sheet represents a credit profile consistent
with the B3 rating category. Pro forma EBITDA less capex to interest
coverage is estimated at 1.6x.
Moody's took the following rating actions on Osmose Utilities Services,
Inc:
Corporate family rating, assigned a B3;
Probability of default rating, assigned a B3-PD;
Proposed $275 million first lien term loan due 2022, assigned
a B2 (LGD3);
Proposed $45 million first lien revolving credit facility expiring
2020, assigned a B2 (LGD3);
Proposed $115 million second lien term loan due 2023, assigned
a Caa2 (LGD5);
Stable rating outlook.
Issuer: Osmose Holdings, Inc:
The company's existing ratings, including the B2 CFR,
remain unchanged and will be withdrawn upon closing of the transaction.
All ratings are subject to the execution of the transaction as currently
proposed and Moody's review of final documentation. The instrument
ratings are subject to change if the proposed capital structure is modified.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The B3 CFR reflects Osmose's high financial leverage and total debt
in excess of revenues resulting from the purchase of the company by Kohlberg.
The rating also reflects the company's small size relative to rated
companies in the business services industry, a history of aggressive
financial policies that have included multiple dividends, acquisitions,
and divestitures, and the event risks associated with potential
shareholder friendly actions given the private equity ownership.
The rating is supported by favorable industry fundamentals, including
increasing regulatory requirements, aging infrastructure,
and increasing customer outsourcing of utility pole maintenance and repair
services, the company's good market positions and national
footprint, long-term contracts and customer relationships,
positive free cash flow, and a good liquidity position.
The B2 rating on the first lien facilities reflects their first priority
security interest in all assets of the company and its guarantors,
which include its immediate parent company and its domestic subsidiaries.
The Caa2 rating on the second lien term loan reflects the subordinate
lien on the collateral that would result in first loss absorption provided
in the event of a default.
The stable rating outlook reflects our expectations for organic growth
in revenues and earnings to result in modest deleveraging over the next
12 to 18 months.
The company's good liquidity position is supported by our expectations
of modest free cash flow generation, sufficient availability under
the $45 million revolving credit facility to fund seasonal working
capital needs, and the flexibility under the springing first lien
leverage covenant. Liquidity is constrained by the seasonality
of the business, which results in negative free cash flows during
working capital intensive quarters.
The ratings could be considered for an upgrade if adjusted debt to EBITDA
is sustained below 6.0x, free cash flow to debt is maintained
in at least a mid single digit percentage range, and there is a
demonstrated commitment to more conservative financial policies.
The ratings could be considered for a downgrade if leverage is sustained
above 7.5x, if the company generates negative free cash flow,
or if the liquidity position deteriorates.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Business and Consumer
Service Industry published in December 2014. 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.
Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta,
GA, provides utility pole inspection, treatment, and
restoration services to investor-owned utilities, cooperatives,
municipalities, and telecommunication utility providers.
The company also provides additional value-added services,
engineering services, underground vault inspection and repair,
product sales, and other ancillary services. Osmose is being
acquired by Kohlberg & Company from Oaktree Capital Management,
L.P., which has been involved since 2012. In
the LTM period ending June 30, 2015, the company generated
approximately $300 million in revenues.
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.
The following information supplements Disclosure 10 ("Information
Relating to Conflicts of Interest as required by Paragraph (a)(1)(ii)(J)
of SEC Rule 17g-7") in the regulatory disclosures made at
the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for each credit rating:
Moody's was not paid for services other than determining a credit
rating in the most recently ended fiscal year by the person that paid
Moody's to determine this credit rating.
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.
Natalia Gluschuk
Analyst
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
Alexandra S. Parker
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 a B3 CFR to Osmose; rates proposed LBO financing