Tokyo, June 18, 2018 -- Moody's Japan K.K. has upgraded Toshiba Corporation's corporate
family rating and senior unsecured debt rating to B1 from Caa1,
and its subordinated debt rating to B3 from Ca.
The rating outlook is stable.
At the same time, Moody's has affirmed Toshiba's commercial paper
rating of Not Prime.
This rating action concludes the review for upgrade initiated on May 18,
2018.
RATINGS RATIONALE
"The rating upgrade reflects the significant improvement in Toshiba's
liquidity and financial position following the sale of its subsidiary,
Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC)," says Masako Kuwahara,
a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst.
"The sale of TMC has also made Toshiba's earnings more stable
-- although greatly reduced -- given that the volatile memory
business represented 90% of consolidated operating profit in fiscal
2017 before its reclassification as discontinued operations,"
adds Kuwahara.
On June 1, 2018, Toshiba seems to have received about JPY1.45
trillion in net proceeds from the sale of TMC.
Furthermore, after consideration of the special JPY700 billion share
buyback policy announced on June 13, Moody's estimates that
Toshiba will achieve a net cash position of around JPY400 billion by the
end of the fiscal year ended March 2019 (fiscal 2018), compared
with a net debt position of JPY192 billion in fiscal 2017.
The TMC sale has also helped to recapitalize the company with a gain of
around JPY970 billion that will raise its shareholders' equity ratio
(shareholders' equity to total assets) ultimately to around 30%
by the end of fiscal 2018 -- including the impact of the
share buyback -- from 18% as of fiscal 2017.
In addition, the material improvement in its capital structure,
along with a much more stable business portfolio with limited exposure
to a market-sensitive business, has significantly reduced
the company's financial risk.
"In this regard, the stable outlook reflects the financial flexibility
afforded by the recapitalization of Toshiba's balance sheet,
following the sale, but it is tempered by the company's lack
of a track record in its new smaller, reorganized form; some
uncertainty over how it will use its cash; and our concern over the
sustainability of its remaining businesses," adds Kuwahara.
The remaining businesses have more earnings visibility, but Moody's
notes that they have weak profitability -- with operating profit
margins in the low-single digits -- and its business
portfolio is exposed to mature or declining markets.
Moreover, Moody's forecasts that Toshiba will be in a negative
free cash flow position (excluding the sale of TMC) at least over the
next 12 -- 18 months, because of the remaining businesses'
weak operating earnings despite their low capital requirements.
Moody's stable outlook is based on an assumption of operating profit
margin sustained at roughly 2%. As of fiscal 2017,
the margin was 1.6%.
The ratings could be upgraded if Toshiba can demonstrate a track record
of stability in earnings and cash flow, and if its ample cash on
hand is employed in a way that improves the company's profitability
through raising the competitiveness of its businesses, or if its
financial profile improves further through additional debt reduction.
Toshiba could face downward rating pressure if it appears unable to sustain
the expected operating profit margin of around 2%; or if the
company adopts a more aggressive financial policy that would weaken its
financial profile.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Global Manufacturing
Companies (Japanese) published in August 2017. Please see the Rating
Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this
methodology.
Toshiba Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the
largest diversified electronics companies in Japan.
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.
Moody's Japan K.K. is a credit rating agency registered
with the Japan Financial Services Agency and its registration number is
FSA Commissioner (Ratings) No. 2. The Financial Services
Agency has not imposed any supervisory measures on Moody's Japan K.K.
in the past year.
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.
Masako Kuwahara
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Corporate Finance Group
Moody's Japan K.K.
Atago Green Hills Mori Tower 20fl
2-5-1 Atago, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-6220
Japan
JOURNALISTS: 81 3 5408 4110
Client Service: 81 3 5408 4100
Mihoko Manabe
Associate Managing Director
Corporate Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 81 3 5408 4110
Client Service: 81 3 5408 4100
Releasing Office:
Moody's Japan K.K.
Atago Green Hills Mori Tower 20fl
2-5-1 Atago, Minato-ku
Tokyo 105-6220
Japan
JOURNALISTS: 81 3 5408 4110
Client Service: 81 3 5408 4100