AI assistant
Sino AG — Capital/Financing Update 2017
Jul 10, 2017
5464_rns_2017-07-10_9bc9bce5-fbee-4e6c-a0ba-fd2f355f5a5e.html
Capital/Financing Update
Open in viewerOpens in your device viewer
Tri-way Industries Earns Strong Credit Rating
Tri-way Industries Earns Strong Credit Rating
Sino Agro Food Advances Spinoff Strategy
GUANGZHOU, China-- Sino Agro Food, Inc. (OTCQX: SIAF | OSE: SIAF-ME), a
specialized investment company focused on protein food including seafood and
cattle, wishes to announce a key milestone toward the financing and spinoff of
its former subsidiary, Tri-way Industries. Through its regional Hong Kong
office, Dun and Bradstreet ("D&B"), assigned its strongest credit rating, 5A 1,
to Tri-way, in which Sino Agro Food, Inc. holds a 36.6% ownership interest.
Background
In March 2017, Sino Agro Food, Inc. announced the successful carve-out of its
aquaculture joint venture assets into Tri-way Industries Ltd. The transaction
resulted in a 56.9M USD deemed capital gain for SIAF while retaining a 36.6%
equity interest in Tri-way. The transaction is expected to be accretive to
SIAF's earnings per share in 2017.
As part of Sino Agro Food's larger carve-out and spinoff strategy ("COSO"), the
company aims to unlock value in its major subsidiaries by creating stand alone
companies, each better positioned to procure debt and equity capital before
applying for separate initial public offerings on Asian stock exchanges that
currently trade peer group companies with established valuations.
After the carve-out, the strategy entails several major milestones toward an
IPO, each involving multiple planned steps, in addition to third-party
contingencies. The milestone categories include regulatory approvals and
organizational restructuring; procuring debt financing and pre-IPO equity
financing; establishing post carve-out operating history; and applying for
listing.
Dun and Bradstreet Issues a 5A 1 Rating for Tri-Way Industries
Tri-way is currently in negotiations with several financing institutions, one of
which commissioned a credit and risk rating from D&B, a leading international
business rating services company headquartered in the USA. Tri-way received a
rating of 5A 1. The 5A refers to financial strength representing the strongest
net tangible worth classification of over 450M RMB or 300M HKD. The "1" refers
to composite credit appraisal, on a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 is the strongest.
The report also provides a financial Risk Predictor ("RP"), with a scale of 1
-10, and a Financial Stress Percentile ("FSP"). Tri-way's RP was 9, with 10
being the highest. This compares to the industry median for 5,536 companies of
6.1. Tri-way's FSP is in the 99thpercentile, equating to a 1/10thof 1% failure
rate, having financial distress in the next 12 months.
While the D&B analysis had been commissioned under one financial institution,
Tri-way and the Company are permitted to utilize its results when negotiating
lending with other financial institutions, improving Tri-way's position to
procure financing on more favorable loan terms than otherwise.
Of note, the D&B corporate profile for Tri-way reported its tangible net worth
at 3,007,347,794 HKD, or 385M USD, about 45M USD higher than reported from the
certified fair market value as of December 31, 2016, reflected in SIAF's annual
audit report (10-K).
CEO and CFO Commentary
Sino Agro Food's Chairman and CEO Solomon Lee provided perspective on Dun and
Bradstreet's report.
"The carve-out and spinoff strategy for our aquaculture assets is a long and
complicated process. The carve-out was successfully completed and announced in
March. Subsequently, we have worked diligently with advisors and regulatory
agencies toward advancing our plan to distribute half of our equity in Tri-way
to SIAF shareholders, and to obtain financing to accelerate Tri-way's
aquaculture development, capacity, and sales. We are confident that these
efforts are proceeding in accordance with our aims. We are gratified by D&B's
report, as it validates our confidence in Tri-way's ability to secure favorable
financing.
"We look forward to reporting additional anticipated milestone achievements in
the upcoming weeks."
SIAF CFO Dan Ritchey elaborated, "Owing to the nature of Tri-way's business
which has far reaching potential in the arenas of food supply, security, and
safety, our discussions with financial institutions in several Asian countries
often take the form of developing a strategic relationship, as opposed to
finalizing a single transaction. We have established a stance of non-exclusivity
in these discussions, as we see the potential advantages of such relationships.
"The D&B report verifies Tri-way's credit worthiness, highlighting a clean
balance sheet, its risk averse approach, and other attributes sourcing the 5A 1
rating, providing additional confidence to these institutions throughout the
decision making process. In relation to the D&B report and progress in other
areas, Tri-way intends to issue follow-up announcements within this month,
pending forms and signatures having been processed and completed."
Contacts
Peter Grossman
+1 (775) 901-0344
Todd Fromer / Elizabeth Barker
+1 (212) 896-1215 / +1 (212) 896-1203
Nordic Countries
+46 (0)8 120 558 30
[email protected] ([email protected])
About Sino Agro Food, Inc.
SIAF is a specialized investment company focused on protein food. The Company
produces, distributes, markets, and sells sustainable seafood and beef to the
rapidly growing middle class in China. Activities also include production of
organic fertilizer and produce. SIAF is a global leader in developing land based
recirculating aquaculture systems ("RAS"), and with its partners is the world's
largest producer of sustainable RAS prawns.
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Guangzhou, the Company had over 550
employees and revenue of USD 343 million in 2016. Operations are located in
Guangdong, Qinghai, and Hunan provinces, and in Shanghai. Sino Agro Food is a
public company listed on OTCQX U.S. Premier in the United States and on the Oslo
Børs' Merkur Market in Norway.
News and updates about Sino Agro Food, Inc., including key information, are
published on the Company's website (http://www.sinoagrofood.com), the Company's
Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SinoAgroFoodInc), and on
twitter @SinoAgroFood (https://twitter.com/SinoAgroFood).
Forward Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to the business of
SIAF and its subsidiary companies. All statements other than historical facts
are forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of forward
-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. These
statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to
differ materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. These
risks and uncertainties are described in detail in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are based on
SIAF's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their
potential effects on SIAF. There is no assurance that future developments
affecting SIAF will be those anticipated by SIAF. SIAF undertakes no obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under
applicable securities laws.