Toronto, May 06, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") placed IAMGOLD Corporation's (IAMGOLD) B2 corporate family rating (CFR), B2-PD probability of default rating and B3 senior unsecured notes rating under review for downgrade. The outlook has changed to rating under review from stable. The review for downgrade was prompted by IAMGOLD's announcement of a material increase in the estimated capital cost of its Côté Gold project and an expected delay in the completion of the project. In addition the company announced it is investigating measures to increase liquidity and capital resources for completion of Côté Gold. [1]
On Review for Downgrade:
..Issuer: IAMGOLD Corporation
.... Corporate Family Rating, Placed on Review for Downgrade, currently B2
.... Probability of Default Rating, Placed on Review for Downgrade, currently B2-PD
....Gtd Senior Unsecured Global Notes, Placed on Review for Downgrade, currently B3 (LGD5)
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: IAMGOLD Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Rating Under Review From Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE / FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Moody's placed IAMGOLD's ratings under review for downgrade to reflect the likelihood of a meaningful deterioration in financial leverage and liquidity in the next 12-24 months as the company completes the Côté Gold project. IAMGOLD is now indicating that the project will require between $1.2 to $1.3 billion of capital spending through 2023 to complete. This is about an over 70% increase compared to previous guidance of between $710 million and $760 million. In addition the project target completion date has been moved to approximately the end of 2023, representing a four to five month delay. The company has indicated that it will provide a detailed update on the Côté Gold project before the end of the second quarter 2022 (June 30). With the increased cost and delay the of the project, IAMGOLD will require additional liquidity and capital resources.
IAMGOLD's liquidity, as of March 31 2022, is supported by $552 million in cash and cash equivalents and near full availability on its $500 million revolving credit facility due in January 2025.
The ratings review will focus on IAMGOLD's projected operating and financial performance in 2022 and 2023, and various strategies contemplated by the company to secure the incremental funding required to complete the Côté Gold project. An important part of the review will be an assessment of the financial flexibility and company's ability to maintain the adequate liquidity levels and credit metrics commensurate with B2 rating throughout the project construction period.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, IAMGOLD owns and operates three gold mines: Rosebel (95% owned,154koz of attributable gold production in 2021) in Suriname, Essakane (90%, 412koz) in Burkina Faso, and Westwood (100%, 13koz) in Canada. The company also owns 64.75% of the Côté Gold project in Ontario (Sumitomo Metal Mining owns 27.75% and 7.5% is held by other investors) which is currently under development in Canada and the Boto gold project in Senegal. Revenues for LTM Q3/2021 were $1.2 billion.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Mining published in October 2021 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1292752. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
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REFERENCES/CITATIONS
[1] 2022 Q1 Report 03-May-2022
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Jamie Koutsoukis
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Corporate Finance Group
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MD - Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance Group
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