Rating Action: Moody's rates Rayonier A.M.'s new secured notes B1; affirms B3 CFR
Toronto, December 07, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") assigned a B1 rating to Rayonier A.M. Products Inc.'s ("RYAM") proposed $500 million senior secured notes due 2026 and affirmed the company's B3 corporate family rating (CFR), B3-PD probability of default rating and Caa2 senior unsecured bond rating. RYAM intends to use the proceeds of this offering to refinance the company's $499 million senior secured term loans (not rated). RYAM's speculative grade liquidity rating was upgraded to SGL-2 from SGL-3 and the rating outlook was changed to stable from negative.
"RYAM's existing ratings were affirmed with a stable outlook reflecting our expectations that the company will maintain good liquidity as its leverage (adjusted Debt to EBITDA) improves toward 6x in 2022", said Ed Sustar, Senior Vice President with Moody's.
..Issuer: Rayonier A.M. Products Inc.
..Issuer: Rayonier A.M. Products Inc.
.... Corporate Family Rating, Affirmed B3
.... Probability of Default Rating, Affirmed B3-PD
..Issuer: Rayonier A.M. Products Inc.
.... Speculative Grade Liquidity Rating, Upgraded to SGL-2 from SGL-3
..Issuer: Rayonier A.M. Products Inc.
RYAM's B3 CFR is constrained by: (1) high consolidated leverage (about 6.5x adjusted debt/EBITDA expected for 2021 after duties and including Moody's standard adjustments, and 6.1x in 2022); (2) volatile lumber and pulp pricing; (3) declining markets for acetate-based specialty cellulose pulp (SC), which is primarily used to manufacture cigarette filters, and newsprint, which has experienced larger than normal declines due to stay-at home measures during the pandemic; and (4) several high cost assets that are challenged to generate cash during cyclical pricing lows. RYAM benefits from: (1) its leading global market position as a SC pulp manufacturer; (2) operational and geographic diversity through four SC facilities located in the US, Canada and France; (3) end-market and product diversity with six sawmills, one consumer paper packaging mill, one high-yield commodity pulp mill and a newsprint mill; and (4) good liquidity.
The company's new B1 rated $500 million senior secured notes are two notches above the CFR reflecting the note holders' position ahead of the company's Caa2 rated $496 million senior unsecured notes due 2024, in accordance with Moody's Loss Given Default for Speculative-Grade Companies methodology. The Caa2 rating on the company's senior unsecured notes reflects the note holders' subordinate position behind the company's new $200 million ABL facility (not rated), the new $500 million secured notes and about $88 million of secured project debt (not rated).
RYAM's SGL-2 rating reflects good liquidity with about $250 million of liquidity sources to cover about $16 million of current debt maturities. RYAM had $83 million of cash (at September 30, 2020) and is expected to have about $130 million of availability under the company's new $200 million ABL facility that matures in November 2025. We expect that the company will generate about $40 million of free cash flow in 2021. The company is no longer subject to financial covenants, and we do not expect that the availability covenant in the new ABL facility will be triggered over the next four quarters. However, all of the company's assets are encumbered, and we expect that any asset sale proceeds would be used to reduce debt.
The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that RYAM will maintain good liquidity as its leverage trends down toward 6x in 2022, through debt reduction from the amortization of secured project debt as EBITDA increases from operational improvements and slightly higher pulp prices.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
RYAM's rating could be downgraded if:
** the company's liquidity profile deteriorates;
** the company fails to strengthen its operating performance, or
** adjusted Debt/EBITDA was expected to remain at or above 7x (10x LTM September 2020, expected to decline to 6.5x in 2021).
RYAM's rating could be upgraded if:
** liquidity improves, including the ability to generate meaningful positive free cash flow;
** sustaining adjusted Debt/EBITDA is below 5.5x (10x LTM September 2020, expected to decline to 6.5x in 2021) and
** EBITDA/Interest is around 1.5x (1.6x LTM September 2020).
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Paper and Forest Products Industry published in October 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1105007. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
Rayonier A.M. Products Inc. (RYAM), headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is a leading global producer of specialty cellulose (SC) pulp, which is used as a raw material to manufacture a diverse array of consumer products, such as cigarette filters, LCD screens, coatings and plastics films. RYAM also produces commodity pulp, lumber, consumer paper packaging and newsprint, with revenue of about $1.7 billion (last twelve months September 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.
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Ed Sustar Senior Vice President 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
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