Salini Impregilo SpA's Proposed Senior Unsecured Notes Assigned 'BB-' Issue Rating And '4' Recovery Rating
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PARIS (S&P Global Ratings) Jan. 10, 2020--S&P Global Ratings today assigned its 'BB-' issue rating to Italian construction company Salini Impregilo SpA's (BB-/Positive/--) proposed senior unsecured notes of up to €690 million, which are due in 2027.
The '4' recovery rating reflects the notes' unsecured and unguaranteed nature, and structural subordination to significant prior-ranking claims. We estimate recovery prospects at 35%. Most bank lines and revolving credit facilities rank pari-passu with the bonds.
The issue and recovery ratings on the proposed notes are based on preliminary information and subject to their successful issuance and our satisfactory review of the final documentation.
Salini Impregilo intends to use the proceeds of the proposed issuance to refinance most of its existing €600 million unsecured notes maturing in 2021 through a notes exchange, and repay a portion of its existing debt. The new capital structure would have an average maturity of 4.5 years, compared with 3.6 years currently if the entire €600 million notes are exchanged.
We expect the documentation for the proposed new bond will be broadly in line with that for the existing notes. It includes one incurrence covenant stipulating a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio of 2.5x, which limits the company's ability to incur additional debt, and permitting debt at the issuer or material subsidiaries of up to 15% of consolidated assets. There is no restricted-payment covenant, but the documentation will come with a €50 million cross-default threshold provision.
In our hypothetical default scenario, we assume a prolonged economic downturn affecting the construction sector, combined with delay in collecting payments for projects, which would result in severe margin contractions and negative operating cash flows. In our view, this would reduce Salini Impreglio's ability to meet its debt obligations, triggering a payment default in 2024.
We value Salini Impreglio as a going concern, based on its strong brand value, market position, and global presence.