Approximately $5.5 billion of debt rated
Toronto, November 21, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") changed Thomson Reuters Corporation's ("Thomson Reuters") outlook to stable from positive, and affirmed the company's Baa2 senior unsecured notes/bonds rating and Prime-2 senior unsecured commercial paper rating.
"The outlook change reflects our expectation that the company will increase financial leverage towards its target over time to fund acquisitions and share repurchases" said Peter Adu, Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer.
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Thomson Reuters Corporation
....Senior Unsecured Commercial Paper, Affirmed P-2
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa2
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Thomson Reuters Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From Positive
RATINGS RATIONALE
Thomson Reuters' Baa2 senior unsecured rating benefits from: (1) its leading global market positions as a provider of information and software solutions, primarily to legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals; (2) high entry barriers and good customer diversity, which drive high retention rates and subscription-based recurring revenue; (3) positive organic revenue and EBITDA growth prospects despite inflationary pressures and weakening macroeconomic conditions; (4) over $6 billion of pretax value in the London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG, A3 stable), which exceeds its total adjusted debt. The rating is constrained by: (1) its high shareholder payments, which contribute to low free cash flow generation relative to peers; (2) Debt/EBITDA that will be sustained towards 3x over time due to debt-financed acquisitions and share repurchases; and (3) ongoing decline in its print business due to digital substitution.
Thomson Reuters is expected to have good liquidity in 2023. Sources approximate $2.1 billion while there is $600 million of notes maturing in this time frame. Liquidity is supported by $459 million of cash and equivalents at September 30, 2022, Moody's expected annual free cash flow of at least $500 million and about $1 billion of availability (after giving effect to commercial paper outstanding and the acquisition of SurePrep) under its $1.8 billion revolving credit facility due in December 2024. Thomson Reuters is expected to remain in compliance with its 4.5x net debt to EBITDA bank covenant (1.7x at Q3/2022), with cushion in excess of 40% through the next twelve months. The revolving credit facility backstops the company's $1.8 billion commercial paper program ($370 million outstanding at September 30, 2022). The facility provides for same day availability of funding but there are material adverse change provisions that, in Moody's view, could weaken its access to the credit facility in times of financial distress. The company has $6 billion of pretax value in the LSEG that will vest over time.
The outlook is stable because Moody's expects the company to manage inflationary pressures, weakening macroeconomic conditions, and its capital allocation strategy such that it will continue to improve its operating results and maintain credit metrics that support its Baa2 rating.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
To consider an upgrade, Thomson Reuters will have to operate with less aggressive shareholder payouts relative to peers, and sustain Debt/EBITDA below 2.5x (2.1x for LTM Q3/2022), FCF/Debt around 10% (3% for LTM Q3/2022) and RCF/Net Debt above 20% (21% for LTM Q3/2022).
The company could be downgraded if it sustains Debt/EBITDA above 3x (2.1x for LTM Q3/2022), FCF/Debt below 5% (3% for LTM Q3/2022) and RCF/Net Debt below 15% (21% for LTM Q3/2022).
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Business and Consumer Services published in November 2021 and available at https://ratings.moodys.com/api/rmc-documents/356424. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Thomson Reuters Corporation, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, provides extensive database information primarily to legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found on https://ratings.moodys.com/rating-definitions.
For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security 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 issuer/deal page for the respective issuer on https://ratings.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.
The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website https://ratings.moodys.com.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.
Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://ratings.moodys.com/documents/PBC_1288235.
The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on https://ratings.moodys.com.
The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on https://ratings.moodys.com.
Please see https://ratings.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 issuer/deal page on https://ratings.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Peter Adu, CFA
VP - Senior Credit Officer
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Canada Inc.
70 York Street
Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M5J 1S9
Canada
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Paresh Chari
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Canada Inc.
70 York Street
Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M5J 1S9
Canada
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653