Singapore, April 30, 2018 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a first-time B1 corporate
family rating to NagaCorp Ltd.
At the same time, Moody's has assigned a B1 backed senior unsecured
rating to the company's proposed US dollar bond issuance.
The proposed bonds are unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by major
operating subsidiaries of NagaCorp.
The outlook on the ratings is stable.
NagaCorp will use the net bond proceeds to grow its VIP gaming segment
and refurbish the hotel rooms in Naga 1.
RATINGS RATIONALE
"NagaCorp's B1 rating reflects its ownership of NagaWorld,
which holds the exclusive right to operate casinos in and around Phnom
Penh, Cambodia," says Jacintha Poh, a Moody's
Vice President and Senior Analyst.
NagaCorp's casino license was awarded to its wholly owned subsidiary,
Ariston Sdn. Berhad, by the Cambodian government on 2 January
1995 for a duration of 70 years, expiring in 2065. Ariston
Sdn. Berhad is the sole casino operator in the area within a 200
kilometer radius of Phnom Penh, except the Cambodia-Vietnam
border area, Bokor, Kirirom Mountains and Sihanoukville,
up to the end of 2035. The casino license allows NagaCorp to adjust
its capacity to suit market demand, as there are no restrictions
on operating hours or the number of gaming tables and machines.
NagaCorp's B1 rating is also supported by the company's diversified
business, which allows it to generate a fairly balanced gross profit
distribution across its three major business segments of (1) mass-market
table games; (2) mass-market electronic gaming; and (3)
VIP gaming. The company also derives earnings from a diversified
customer base, with tourists arriving from Greater China,
Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.
"NagaCorp is rated one notch above Cambodia's sovereign rating,
based on our assessment of the low likelihood that NagaCorp would be affected
in the event of a weakening of Cambodia's economic fundamentals,"
says Poh, who is also Moody's Lead Analyst for NagaCorp,
adding "The company generates nearly all of its revenue from tourists
and does not rely on domestic banks or capital markets for funding."
Since its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2006, NagaCorp
has gradually grown its revenue, despite economic challenges and
increasing competition within the gaming industry in Asia. In 2017,
the company recorded its strongest growth in revenue owing to a sharp
increase in its VIP gaming business. Moody's expects NagaCorp's
revenue to grow around 20% each year in 2018 and 2019, supported
by improvements across its mass-market gaming and VIP gaming businesses
with the ramp up of Naga 2, which opened in November 2017.
Moody's expects NagaCorp's mass-market gaming business
to be driven by the company's collaboration with China International
Travel Services Limited, China Duty Free Group, and Bassaka
Air to increase tourist visits to Cambodia and NagaWorld. Over
the last five years, Chinese tourist arrivals to Cambodia have grown
at a CAGR of 27% to around 1.2 million in 2017 and accounted
for 21% of total tourist arrivals to Cambodia, according
to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism. The company also plans
to further grow its VIP gaming segment by offering competitive incentives
or commissions to gaming promoters.
Consequently, Moody's expects NagaCorp's financial metrics
to remain solid for its B1 rating, despite an increase in debt.
Specifically, Moody's expects NagaCorp to record adjusted
debt/EBITDA of around 1.5x, EBIT/interest expense of around
11.2x and RCF/debt of around 30% in 2018.
Over the next 12-18 months, Moody's also expects NagaCorp
to generate an EBITDA margin of around 30%, which is lower
than its last five-year average of around 45%, but
is still high among listed gaming companies. The company's
high margin is supported by the low labor costs and favorable gaming tax
environment in Cambodia.
The drop in NagaCorp's EBITDA margin will be due to the growing
proportion of revenue from the VIP gaming business, which generates
lower margins than the mass-market gaming business. Over
the next 12-18 months, Moody's estimates NagaCorp's
gross profit margins for its VIP gaming business to be around 20%,
and for its mass-market gaming business to be around 95%.
NagaCorp's rating is constrained by (1) the company's single-site
operation; (2) uncertainty around tax rates and the timing of Cambodia's
new gaming law; and (3) its exposure to political instability in
Cambodia, changes in economic policies and weaknesses relating to
the country's legal system.
NagaCorp's proposed US dollar senior unsecured notes are not exposed
to either legal or structural subordination risk, and are fully
guaranteed by the company's major operating subsidiaries,
and are therefore rated at the same level as the company's B1 corporate
family rating.
According to Cambodia's 1997 Law on Foreign Exchange, there are
no restrictions on foreign exchange operations through authorized banks.
NagaCorp has established a track record of repatriating funds from its
NagaWorld operations to the holding company and has paid dividends to
the company's shareholders.
The rating outlook is stable, reflecting Moody's expectation
that NagaCorp will carry out its expansion plans in a prudent manner while
maintaining solid financial metrics and liquidity over the next 12-18
months.
NagaCorp's rating is unlikely to be upgraded, because it is
constrained to one notch above Cambodia's sovereign rating.
To upgrade the rating, Moody's would expect --
in addition to a sovereign upgrade -- the company to maintain
its strong operating position within the Cambodian gaming market and solid
financial metrics as evidenced by adjusted debt/EBITDA below 2.0x
and adjusted retained cash flow/debt above 25%.
Downward rating pressure could emerge if (1) Cambodia's rating is
downgraded; (2) the operating environment deteriorates, resulting
in protracted weakness in operating cash flow generation; (3) the
company fails to maintain 100% ownership of Ariston Sdn.
Bhd, which holds its Cambodian casino license, and 100%
ownership of NagaWorld; (4) the company increases its debt leverage,
capital spending or shareholder returns, such that its adjusted
debt/EBITDA exceeds 2.5x and adjusted retained cash flow/debt falls
below 20% over the next 12-18 months; and (5) the company
has insufficient cash to cover its short-term debt obligations.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Gaming Industry published
in December 2017. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
NagaCorp Ltd. was incorporated in the Cayman Islands in 2003 and
listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2006. The company owns
and manages NagaWorld, the largest integrated casino and hotel complex
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is developing a second integrated
casino and hotel complex in Vladivostok, Russia, which the
company expects will commence operation in 2019. NagaCorp was founded
by Tan Sri Dr. Chen Lip Keong, the company's chief
executive officer and largest shareholder with a 65% stake as of
31 March 2018.
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.
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.
Jacintha Poh
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd.
50 Raffles Place #23-06
Singapore Land Tower
Singapore 48623
Singapore
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Laura Acres
MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd.
50 Raffles Place #23-06
Singapore Land Tower
Singapore 48623
Singapore
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077