New York, May 06, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has upgraded iStar Inc.'s (iStar) corporate family and senior unsecured ratings to Ba2. Moody's has also upgraded iStar's preferred stock rating to B1. Additionally, Moody's has withdrawn iStar's Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating of SGL-2. iStar's outlook is stable.
This rating action concludes the review for upgrade initiated on 18 February 2022, following iStar's announcement that it had entered into an agreement to sell its net lease asset portfolio for $3.07 billion. The sale was completed on 22 March, 2022.
Upgrades:
..Issuer: iStar Inc.
.... Corporate Family Rating, Upgraded to Ba2 from Ba3
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Upgraded to Ba2 from Ba3
....Senior Unsecured Shelf, Upgraded to (P)Ba2 from (P)Ba3
....Subordinate Shelf, Upgraded to (P)B1 from (P)B2
....Pref. Stock, Upgraded to B1 from B2
....Pref. Shelf, Upgraded to (P)B1 from (P)B2
....Pref. Shelf Non-Cumulative, Upgraded to (P)B1 from (P)B2
Withdrawals:
..Issuer: iStar Inc.
.... Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating, Withdrawn, previously rated SGL-2
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: iStar Inc.
....Outlook, Changed To Stable From Rating Under Review
RATINGS RATIONALE
Moody's upgraded iStar's ratings based on strong asset coverage, including cash on the balance sheet, of the remaining debt outstanding, and Moody's expectation of a favorable capital position for iStar following its sale of the net lease portfolio. Moody's expects that iStar's capital as measured by total common equity / total managed assets will be close to 30% as iStar continues to address some of its remaining maturities using some of the net sale proceeds. Safehold Inc. (Baa1 stable) now represents iStar's largest investment (approximately 56% of managed assets), in which it owns a 64.7% economic interest with 41.9% of voting rights. Additionally, all of iStar's debt remains unsecured which provides incremental financial flexibility.
Moody's said that these strengths are offset by iStar's inconsistent operating performance, riskier investments in land and development, and limited fixed charges coverage from the operating cash flow of its business activities. iStar has good liquidity anchored on the remaining cash from the sale of its net lease portfolio ($1.5 billion at 31 March, 2022) and availability on its revolving credit facility. Moody's expects that iStar will use a portion of cash from its asset sale to address its debt maturities. An additional credit challenge for iStar relates to some uncertainty surrounding its longer-term strategy and how the dynamics of its relationship with Safehold will evolve.
Moody's also said there remains an element of governance and event risk in the close inter-relationships between iStar and Safehold, including key person risk associated with their common Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, who is the companies' strategic visionary and key franchise-builder.
The unsecured notes rating of Ba2 is line with the corporate family rating due to its preponderance in the capital structure. The preferred stock rating of B1 is two notches lower than the senior unsecured debt rating, reflecting its subordination to the senior unsecured notes. The company also has a $350 million borrowing base revolving facility (unrated), expiring 27 September, 2022.
The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectations that iStar will use the majority of the proceeds from the sale of net lease assets to pay-off a portion of its outstanding debt and that the company will continue to invest in its ground lease business as articulated by the management team.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Moody's could upgrade iStar's ratings if the company sustains stable profitability and low credit losses, consistently generates enough operating cash flow to service its mandatory obligations while also articulating and following a clear long-term strategy that benefits creditors.
The ratings could be downgraded if there is a greater than expected encumbrance of assets, deterioration in operating performance, lower than expected debt paydown, or if it engages in asset purchases or other actions inconsistent with its currently articulated strategy of moving towards greater focus on its ground lease business. The ratings could also be downgraded if governance-related risks associated with iStar's ownership interest in Safehold materialize such that it results in a deterioration in iStar's financial condition or future business prospects.
iStar Inc. [NYSE: STAR] finances, invests in and develops real estate and real estate related projects. The New York City-based REIT had total assets of $4.1 billion at 31 March, 2022, including the $1.4 billion investment in its ground lease affiliate, Safehold Inc. [NYSE: SAFE].
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Finance Companies Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1187099. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
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.
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Inna Bodeck
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
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New York, NY 10007
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Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
Donald Robertson
Associate Managing Director
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376
Client Service: 1 212 553 1653
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