New York, September 11, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") upgraded Advanced Micro Devices,
Inc.'s ("AMD") senior unsecured rating to Baa3 from Ba3.
Moody's also withdrew AMD's Corporate Family Rating of Ba2,
Ba2-PD Probability of Default Rating and SGL-1 Speculative
Grade Liquidity Rating. The outlook was revised from positive to
stable.
In addition to Moody's expectations of strong operating performance
and balanced financial policies, the upgrade of the senior unsecured
rating to Baa3 also reflects the release of security on the company's
previously secured $500 million credit facility.
Issuer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Upgrades:
$312 million (outstanding) Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022;
Upgraded to Baa3 from Ba3 (LGD4)
Withdrawals:
Corporate Family Rating of Ba2
Probability of Default Rating of Ba2-PD
Speculative Grade Liquidity SGL-1
Outlook Actions:
Outlook; Revised to Stable from Positive
RATINGS RATIONALE
AMD's credit profile reflects the company's strong performance and
outlook, driven by continued design wins, market share gains,
and an expanded set of product offerings and customers. With recent
new product launches, we expect strong revenue growth in 2020 driven
by new desktop, mobile, server, and graphics chips,
and the launch of semi-custom revenue related to game consoles
in the second half of 2020. Additionally, already low leverage
will continue to decline while the company's liquidity profile remains
excellent. We project over 30% growth in 2020 to drive full
year revenue of $8.9 billion, with 20% plus
growth projected in 2021. With higher average selling prices and
compelling chip performance, gross margins should expand to around
45% this year while EBITDA margins improve towards 18% and
potentially over 20% in 2021.
Despite staging working capital to support this strong growth, we
expect over $600 million of free cash flow in 2020 and well over
$1 billion in 2021. Very low debt levels and improved performance
will drive a further decline in already low leverage, with adjusted
gross debt to EBITDA around 0.5x in 2020 (0.8x at December
2019) and free cash flow to gross adjusted debt approximating 85%.
The ability to consistently execute product and technology transitions
and withstand competition from strong competitors such as Intel and Nvidia
remain key challenges.
Over the last five years, AMD's product roadmap execution has improved
considerably with the company successfully launching multiple generations
of commercial and consumer desktop processors, mobile processors,
a new graphics lineup, and two generations of EPYC server processors.
A decision in 2018 by one of AMD's foundry partner (GlobalFoundries Inc.)
to not pursue 7 nanometer technology means AMD has and will continue to
increase its use of its other foundry partner, Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) for leading edge chip making. GlobalFoundries
Inc. had historically manufactured most AMD's CPUs.
Moody's believes the increased use of TSMC for leading edge microprocessor
production provides additional manufacturing roadmap certainty for AMD
and its customers, which is a credit positive. AMD is currently
in the market with leading edge 7-nanometer server processors and
datacenter chips and gaining share with expanding profitability.
With this product and manufacturing positioning, combined with Intel's
current challenges at 10 nanometers and new delays at 7 nanometers that
are expected to last into 2022, AMD is well positioned to increase
its share of the profitable and growing server CPU market from its current
level of about 10%, with the potential to reach 20%
over the next couple of years. Despite AMD's solid operating prospects
and Intel's current challenges, Moody's expects the company
will continue to face stiff competition from strong and higher rated companies
such as Intel as well as NIVIDIA Corporation.
AMD has an excellent liquidity profile that allows the company to internally
fund investment needs and react to marketplace dynamics and competitive
challenges. AMD reported $1.8 billion of cash and
cash equivalents as of June 2020. AMD also maintains access to
an unused $500 million and now unsecured revolving credit facility
that matures June 2024. With cash balances, access to the
credit facility, Moody's projection of $600 million
of free cash flow in 2020 and materially higher in 2021, and no
debt maturities until $312 million is due in August 2022,
AMD has excellent liquidity.
The stable outlook reflects expectations that AMD will sustain its strong
performance with its broadened product positioning, and prospects
for improved operating performance and cash generation over the next year.
The outlook also embeds expectations that management will continue to
adhere to conservative financial policies, including the maintenance
of excellent liquidity. The ability to consistently execute product
and technology transitions, as well as competition from strong competitors
such as Intel and Nvidia remain key challenges.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
The rating could be upgraded if AMD is able to sustain solid business
execution, grow revenue and improve operating profitability,
generate consistently strong free cash flow, and maintain conservative
financial practices, including maintaining cash and liquid investments
of approximately $1 billion or more.
The rating could be downgraded if AMD's market position substantially
weakens, profitability declines on a sustained basis or financial
policies become more aggressive. Revenue declines due to uncompetitive
products, declines in EBITDA margins to below 12%; free
cash flow sustained below $500 million, or a drop in cash
and liquid investments to below $750 million could pressure the
ratings.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Semiconductor Industry
published in July 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1130733.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of this methodology.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is a fabless semiconductor
company that specializes in microprocessors, graphics processing
units and semi-custom and embedded processors. AMD reported
revenue of $7.6 billion for the twelve months ended June
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
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and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.
At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s)
announced and described above.
The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was
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Richard J. Lane
Senior Vice President
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Lenny J. Ajzenman
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Releasing Office:
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JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
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