Toronto, March 11, 2021 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") revised
the rating outlook for Kinross Gold Corporation (Kinross) to positive
from stable. At the same time, Moody's affirmed the company's
senior unsecured notes at Baa3.
"The outlook change to positive reflects our view that Kinross will be
able to grow production well above 2.5 million ounces per year
through its projects including the expansion at Tasiast, and reduce
its operating cost per ounce while maintaining low leverage and conservative
financial policies", said Jamie Koutsoukis, Moody's Vice President,
Senior Analyst.
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Kinross Gold Corporation
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Baa3
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Kinross Gold Corporation
....Outlook, Changed To Positive From
Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE
Kinross' Baa3 senior unsecured rating benefits from 1) good scale
(~2.4 million gold-equivalent ounces (GEO) in 2020),
2) low leverage (1x at YE 2020 adjusted debt/EBITDA), 3) a lower-risk
brownfield development pipeline, 4) excellent liquidity and 5) conservative
financial policies. Kinross is constrained by 1) a concentration
of cash flow from two sites (about 45% of EBITDA was from their
Kupol and Paracatu mines in 2020), 2) the geopolitical risk of its
Tasiast mine in Mauritania (unrated) which will have increasing contribution
to profitability once the expansion is complete (16% of EBITDA
in 2020, expected to be near 30% in 2022), and 3) sensitivity
to gold price volatility. Kinross' operating cash costs ($898/GEO
at 2020): ((Revenue-EBITDA)/GEO), are in line relative
to its investment grade rated mining peers, but will come down (expected
to decline towards $800/GEO in the next 18-24 months),
with expected higher production from its lower cost mines.
Kinross has excellent liquidity, with about $2.7 billion
of total sources and about $900 million of uses over the next year.
Sources include $1.2 billion of cash at YE 2020 and nearly
full availability on its $1.5 billion revolving credit facility
(matures Aug 2024). Uses include Moody's expectation that Kinross
will consume about $400 million of free cash flow (includes interest
payments, acquisitions and dividends) in the next 4 quarters (using
a $1,500 gold price sensitivity for 2021) and that the company
will repay its next scheduled debt maturity of $500 million of
senior notes due in September 2021. Moody's expects Kinross will
remain comfortably in compliance with its bank facility covenant.
The positive outlook reflects that Kinross will be able to execute its
development projects that include the Tasiast expansion and restart of
La Coipa, which will contribute to lowering and sustaining its operating
cash costs (revenue less EBITDA divided by GEOs) near $800/oz.
The outlook also assumes that the company will maintain its conservative
financial policies.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
The rating could be upgraded should Kinross show progression on its projects
at Tasiast and La Coipa and a clear path to lowering costs towards $800/GEO
and raising production to approximately 2.8 million ounces/year.
An upgrade would also require the company to maintain adjusted debt/EBITDA
below 2x (1x at YE 2020) and (CFO-dividends)/debt above 40%
(88% at YE 2020) through various price points on a sustained basis.
A downgrade would be considered if operating costs are sustained near
or above $900/GEO on a sustained basis, adjusted debt/EBITDA
is maintained above 2.5x (1x at YE 2020) or (CFO-dividends)/debt
of falls below 30% (88% at YE 2020) on a sustained basis.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Mining published in
September 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1089739.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Kinross operates eight gold
mines located in Russia, the US, Brazil, Chile,
Ghana, and Mauritania. Revenues for the year ended 2020 were
$4.2 billion and the company had production of ~2.4
million gold equivalent ounces in 2020.
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 at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.
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 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.
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 www.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://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1243406.
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 www.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 www.moodys.com.
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.
Jamie Koutsoukis
Vice President - Senior Analyst
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
Donald S. Carter, CFA
MD - Corporate Finance
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