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TEXT-Fitch rates Ingram Micro's unsecured notes 'BBB-'
Aug 7 - Fitch Ratings has assigned a 'BBB-' rating to Ingram Micro Inc.'s (Ingram Micro) proposed issuance of $300 million in 10-year senior unsecured notes. Fitch expects the proceeds from this offering to be used to partially finance the company's planned $840 million acquisition of Brightpoint Inc. (Brightpoint). Fitch expects the remaining portion of the acquisition to be financed with a combination of additional borrowings and available cash. Fitch had revised the Rating Outlook on Ingram Micro to Negative from Stable following the announcement of the Brightpoint acquisition in July. For additional information on the Outlook revision, see Fitch's press release dated July 19, 2012. Pro forma for the proposed debt offering and expected financing of the acquisition, Fitch estimates total leverage (total debt to EBITDA) will be roughly 1.5x, and long-term debt leverage (long-term debt to EBITDA) will be roughly 1.0x. Free cash flow is expected to exceed $300 million in fiscal 2012. Fitch expects total leverage at Ingram Micro to remain below 2.0x and for long-term debt to EBITDA to remain at or below 1.0x going forward. Fitch believes that the higher total leverage figure reflects the company's need to finance working capital with short-term debt, allowing it to reduce leverage in a business downturn. Ratings strengths include: --Ingram Micro's scale of operations including its global footprint, financial capability and breadth of product offering, which provides a competitive advantage and a moderate barrier to entry; --Importance of the wholesale distribution model for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), particularly for serving the small-to-medium business (SMB) market. Rating concerns continue to center on: --Exposure to the cyclicality of IT demand and general global economic conditions; --Potential for the use of free cash flow and/or debt issuance for acquisitions or for shareholder-friendly actions; --Low-margin and high working capital nature of the wholesale distribution model which can lead to volatility in profitability and free cash flow, although working capital has historically provided a substantial source of liquidity during cyclical downturns. Liquidity was solid as of June 30, 2012 and consisted primarily of $981 million in cash and cash equivalents, an undrawn $750 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility expiring August 2016 (with $5 million of letters of credit outstanding), and approximately $1 billion of capacity under various accounts receivable securitization programs. These receivable facilities include a $500 million U.S. facility that expires in April 2014 as well as several smaller facilities in Europe and Asia. Available capacity under these agreements can vary moderately based upon the amount of eligible Trade Accounts Receivable held by the company at any point in time. Ingram Micro also has several additional credit facilities it utilizes for liquidity purposes with aggregate capacity of approximately $749 million, of which $582 million was available to the company after deducting $24 million of letters of credit outstanding. Total debt as of June 30, 2012 was approximately $464 million and consisted principally of $163 million outstanding under various uncommitted revolving credit facilities, and $300 million senior unsecured notes maturing in 2017. In addition, Ingram Micro has $151 million outstanding under various uncommitted off-balance sheet accounts receivable sales agreements which Fitch includes in its adjusted debt calculations. Fitch rates Ingram Micro as follows: --Issuer Default Rating (IDR) 'BBB-'; --$300 million senior unsecured notes 'BBB-'; --$750 million senior unsecured credit facility 'BBB-'. The Rating Outlook is Negative. WHAT COULD TRIGGER A RATING ACTION Future developments that may, individually or collectively, lead to negative rating action include: --An inability to grow Brightpoint's logistics business to offset expected weakness in its distribution business; --Overall operating margin compression at Ingam Micro due to competitive threats or execution missteps; Future developments that may, individually or collectively, lead to positive rating action include: --The current Rating Outlook is Negative. As a result, Fitch does not currently anticipate developments with a material likelihood, individually or collectively, leading to a rating upgrade. Contact: Primary Analyst Brian Taylor, CFA Associate Director +1-212-908-0620 Fitch, Inc. One State Street Plaza New York, NY10004 Secondary Analyst Jason Paraschac, CFA Senior Director +1-212-908-0746 Committee Chairperson Jamie Rizzo Senior Director +1-212-908-0548 Media Relations: Brian Bertsch, New York, Tel: +1 212-908-0549, Email: brian.bertsch@fitchratings.com. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of, the issuer, and therefore, Fitch has been compensated for the provision of the ratings. Applicable Criteria and Related Research --'Corporate Rating Methodology' (Aug. 12, 2011); --'Rating Global Technology Companies Sector Credit Factors' (Sept. 20, 2010); --'Evaluating Corporate Governance' (Dec. 06, 2010). Applicable Criteria and Related Research: Corporate Rating Methodology Rating Global Technology Companies - Specific Rating Factors Evaluating Corporate Governance ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: here. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. Criteria Regulatory Form NRSRO Terms Of Use Endorsement Policy Privacy Policy Code of Ethics Site Index Press Room Copyright © 2012 by Fitch, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Home Ratings and Research Tools Products and Services Fitch Training
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