Cemex, per rientrare nei covenant, prova a deleveraggiare progettando vendite di assets. I prezzi dei bonds non sono male, ma il settore è fortemente ciclico e il taglio minimo, su un hy, mi fa desistere...
Cemex CEO: Asset sales to yield $1 billion
By Anthony Harrup
MEXICO CITY -(MarketWatch)- The chairman and chief executive of Mexican cement and building materials company Cemex SAB (CX, CEMEX.MX), Lorenzo Zambrano, said Thursday he expects the company to raise $1 billion from asset sales by the end of next year in order to continue lowering its debt, including $180 million this year.
In a webcast meeting with investors, Zambrano said that highly leveraged Cemex doesn't want to own assets that produce less than 10% return on capital.
"We will only sell assets that will improve our return on capital and help us to delever our balance sheet," he said.
Cemex's heavy debt load--$18.4 billion in total debt plus perpetual notes at the end of June--coupled with a slow recovery in key markets, has contributed to investor pessimism that has knocked Cemex's share price down sharply in recent months.
Zambrano said Cemex hadn't anticipated the extent of the effects of the recession in the U.S., one of its largest markets along with Mexico, but he expects Cemex's U.S. operations to be profitable next year.
He also addressed investor concerns about covenants on Cemex's refinanced debt, saying the company will continue to comply with the covenants this year and next. He reiterated his confidence of complying when pressed by analysts, and said Cemex isn't renegotiating the covenants.
"I'm sure we will do it, otherwise I wouldn't be saying it here," Zambrano said.
Cemex refinanced $15 billion in mostly bank debt in 2009, and has since paid down about half of it. Its next major amortizations are in late 2013.
Asked about the recent sharp depreciation of the Mexican peso, related to recent global market turmoil and risk aversion, Zambrano said Cemex expects the peso to return to its "equilibrium level" by year end. The peso recently traded n Mexico City at MXN13.4515 to the U.S. dollar, compared with around MXN11.74 at the end of July.
Last week the currency had reached MXN14 to the dollar, its weakest level in 2 1/2 years.
Cemex CPO shares traded on the Mexican stocks exchange were up 3% at MXN4.87 around 10:05 a.m. EDT.