Hong Kong, May 05, 2016 -- Moody's Investors Service has today downgraded STATS ChipPAC Ltd.'s
corporate family rating and senior secured bond ratings to B2 from B1
and its unsecured bond rating to B3 from B2.
The rating outlook is negative.
Rating Actions:
..Issuer: STATS ChipPAC Ltd.
.... Corporate Family Rating, downgraded
to B2 from B1
.... Senior unsecured $74.5mm
GTD GLOBAL BONDS due 2018, downgraded to B3 from B2
.... Senior secured $425mm GTD GLOBAL
BONDS due 2020, downgraded to B2 from B1
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: STATS ChipPAC Ltd.
.... Outlook, maintained Negative
RATINGS RATIONALE
The downgrade primarily reflects the company's continued weak operating
performance, as evidenced in its results for both 4Q 2015 and 1Q
2016, as announced on 29 April 2016.
Furthermore, looking ahead, Moody's expects the sluggish
state of demand in the high-end smartphone market which uses wafer-level
packaging and advance packaging, two of STATS ChipPAC's key
areas of focus, will mute revenues and limit any meaningful improvement
in profitability over the next 12 months.
Accordingly, a near-term reversal of the trend evident in
4Q 2015 and 1Q 2016 is unlikely.
"We have downgraded the corporate family rating to B2 to reflect
the company's continued weak operating performance. We further
expect STATS ChipPAC's liquidity position to tighten considerably
over the next 6 months, given its lower profitability levels,
high fixed-cost structure, and significant capex program,"
says Annalisa Di Chiara, a Moody's Vice President and Senior
Credit Officer and lead analyst for the company.
Moody's notes that STATS ChipPAC reported revenues of $244
million in 1Q 2016, a 28% contraction from 4Q 2015 --
itself a weak quarter -- and reflecting the lower demand for packaging
and testing services by the communications sector, as well as inventory
corrections by some customers.
It also reported a $27 million operating loss, and which
we expect to continue over the next two to three quarters.
In addition, we estimate adjusted debt/EBITDA for the 12 months
ended 31 March to be in the 4.4x-4.7x range.
"At the same time, we expect adjusted debt/EBITDA will climb
into the 5.0-5.5x range by December 2016, as
profitability remains muted and adjusted debt levels, including
the perpetual security of $205 million, remain at approximately
$1.2 billion," adds Di Chiara.
Moody's also notes that the company has no additional availability
under existing working capital facilities and is therefore reliant on
cash flow generation which is currently weak, and support from its
parent company (JCET), to support its operations.
We also expect the muted state of profitability and significant cash costs
-- including around $55-60 million in interest
expenses and $260 million in capex -- to drive substantial
negative free cash flow and erode cash balances rapidly over the rest
of 2016. STATS ChipPAC held $96 million of cash on its balance
sheet at 31 March 2016.
On the supportive side, STATS ChipPAC completed its debt refinancing
exercise on 15 April, following the repayment of its bridge facility
with the proceeds from a new $315 million syndicated term loan
and revolving credit facility due 24 August 2020.
The move away from short-term debt is positive for the rating as
it extends the company's debt maturity profile considerably.
Currently, it has $30 million under a revolving credit facility
due over the next 12 months and around $50 million payable in 2017.
While we expect liquidity to deteriorate over the next two quarters,
STATS ChipPAC's parent - Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Tech
Co., Ltd (JCET, unrated) - and SilTech Shanghai
(unrated, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Semiconductor
Manufacturing Int'l Corp. (SMIC, Baa3, stable)),
entered into a subscription agreement on 28 April whereby it will acquire
150,681,044 of JCET's shares for RMB2,655 million
($400 million) payable in cash.
Based on the Independant Financial Advisor Report filed by JCET with the
Shanghai Stock Exchange, RMB 1,328 million (or approximately
$200 million) of the proceeds are earmarked to fund a substantial
portion of STATS ChipPAC's projected capex for the expansion of
its eWLB capacity in Singapore.
Although this capital infusion will be positive for the company's
near-term liquidity profile, we believe that its over-leveraged
balance sheet and high capex requirements will continue to weigh on cash
flows and liquidity in 2017.
The subscription agreement is contingent upon (1) the approval of JCET
shareholders who meet at an extraordinary general meeting on 20 May 2016,
and (2) the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).
The outlook is negative and reflects STATS ChipPAC's weak operating
performance and rising liquidity pressures.
Further downward rating pressure could arise if the company continues
to experience reduced asset utilization rates, as well as both decreasing
profitability and cash flow-generating capability, such that
adjusted debt/EBITDA rises above 5.5x, or cash levels fall
below $75 million.
Moreover, if the company does not receive the $200 million
capital injection from its parent -- to help fund its capex
program, the ratings will be downgraded.
Upwards rating pressure is unlikely over the near term, given the
downgrade and negative outlook.
However, the outlook could return to stable if the $200 million
capital injection from JCET materializes and the company reverts to generating
positive operating profits and free cash flow on a sustained basis.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Semiconductor Industry
Methodology published in December 2015. Please see the Ratings
Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this
methodology.
STATS ChipPAC Ltd. is a leading service provider of semiconductor
packaging design, assembly, test and distribution solutions
in diverse end market applications including communications, digital
consumer and computing. With global headquarters in Singapore,
STATS ChipPAC has design, research and development, manufacturing
or customer support offices throughout Asia, the United States and
Europe. STATS ChipPAC is a business unit of Jiangsu Changjiang
Electronics Tech Co., Ltd. (JCET, unrated),
a publicly-traded company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
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.
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.
Annalisa Di Chiara
VP - Senior Credit Officer
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
Laura Acres
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
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Moody's downgrades STATS ChipPAC to B2; outlook negative