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Investing.com -- S&P Global Ratings has placed Sun Communities Inc (NYSE:SUI). on creditwatch positive following the company’s announcement of its definitive agreement to sell all its interests in the Safe Harbor Marinas business to affiliates of Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Infrastructure. The decision by S&P Global Ratings comes as the majority of the sale proceeds are expected to be used to reduce the company’s debt.
Although Sun Communities’ scale will decrease after the transaction, the company will continue to have a substantial portfolio of manufactured housing (MH) and recreational vehicle (RV) communities. The ratings agency sees the transaction as relatively neutral to Sun Communities’ business risk profile. The company’s marina business sale will result in a smaller and less diversified portfolio, but the simplification of the business is seen as a positive move by S&P Global Ratings.
The transaction will enable Sun Communities to concentrate on its MH and RV portfolios, which are considered less economically sensitive asset types. The company’s cash flows are expected to be more stable as about half of the marina business’ revenue was from service and ancillary revenue. Moving forward, Sun Communities’ revenue is expected to be more durable, with a larger proportion generated from stable leases. The company is expected to modestly grow its portfolio over time, regaining some of the scale lost in this transaction, with a focus on MH and RV communities.
The company’s leverage is expected to significantly improve following the transaction. As of September 30, 2024, Sun Communities’ S&P Global Ratings-adjusted debt to EBITDA was 6.3x, and the company has been operating in that range for the past few years. The company’s main goal in recent quarters has been to reduce leverage through asset sales, a goal it is expected to achieve after the transaction closes. Following the repayment of debt with part of the $5.5 billion in pre-tax proceeds from the sale of its marina business, the company expects its net debt to trailing 12 months EBITDA to be between 2.5x-3.0x on a pro forma basis.
The CreditWatch placement on Sun Communities is expected to be resolved when the transaction closes, which is anticipated to be in the second quarter of 2025. A potential rating increase could occur if the company adopts a more conservative financial policy, which would keep S&P Global Ratings adjusted debt to EBITDA below 4.5x.
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