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Investing.com -- S&P Global Ratings has downgraded Innovate Corp. to ’CC’ from a previous rating and assigned a negative outlook following the company’s announcement of a transaction that S&P views as a distressed exchange.
The rating agency stated that after the transaction closes, the exchange will be considered distressed as it offers debtholders less value than originally promised. S&P also expressed concern that if the debt restructuring fails to materialize, there is a "realistic possibility of a conventional default" in the near to medium term due to Innovate’s weak operating performance and limited liquidity.
Under the exchange plan, Innovate’s $330 million senior secured notes due February 2026 will be exchanged for $337 million senior secured notes due February 2027. The new notes will carry a 10.5% interest rate, with interest paid in kind for the first two payments in August 2025 and February 2026, followed by cash interest payments in August 2026 and February 2027.
S&P considers the terms unfavorable to lenders despite the higher interest rate and exchange premium, citing the extended maturity and delayed interest payments. The agency believes the rates are below what Innovate would need to pay for new capital under current market conditions.
The company announced the refinancing transaction on July 17, which includes several other exchanges and debt maturity extensions. Most of these will also pay interest in kind over the next year. The final settlement of the exchange offer is expected to occur on August 15.
If the transaction completes as planned, S&P indicated it would likely lower Innovate’s issuer credit rating to ’SD’ and the issue-level rating on its senior notes to ’D’. Subsequently, the agency would review and potentially raise the ratings, likely to the ’ CCC (WA:CCCP)’ category, based on the new capital structure.
S&P highlighted that Innovate’s portfolio consists entirely of unlisted companies, which it views as a weakness for an investment holding company. The majority of Innovate’s portfolio value comes from its 91% controlling interest in DBM Global Inc., which is the only portfolio company expected to make distributions to Innovate in the near term.
While management has stated it is exploring opportunities to monetize its life science business assets to generate at least $150 million in net proceeds within the next 12 months, S&P expressed skepticism about the company’s ability to monetize its concentrated unlisted assets to repay debt or generate additional liquidity quickly.
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