ICTSI successful prices new senior unsecured notes
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. , successfully priced a US$400 million offering of 10-year senior unsecured notes. The offering will mark ICTSI’s return to the senior unsecured notes market, having last completed a fixed-for-life perpetual capital securities transaction in January 2018, the company said in its release.
Net proceeds from the issue of the Notes will be used to refinance and extend the maturity of ICTSI’s liabilities and for general corporate purposes.
The transaction furthers ICTSI’s prudent balance sheet management and capital structure optimization initiatives in response to the economic disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Notes were priced with a fixed coupon of 4.750% p.a., payable on a semi-annual basis and a price of 99.607 to yield 4.800% p.a. Upon issuance, the Notes will constitute direct, unconditional, unsubordinated, and unsecured obligations of the Issuer, pari passu without any preference among themselves and with all other outstanding unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the Issuer.
ICTSI’s global, diversified footprint and uniquely focused origin and destination portfolio were central to investor appeal. The offering attracted strong demand from a wide array of accounts and pricing was compressed 45 basis points from initial marketing to final pricing levels.
Demand allocable at final pricing was in excess of US$1.85 bn from over 111 accounts, equivalent to orderbook oversubscription of over 4.6x. The Notes were widely distributed with fund and asset managers allocated approximately 65% of the offering, banks and private banks, 21%, and insurance and pension funds, 14%. By geography, Asia, EMEA, and offshore U.S. investors took approximately 80%, 19%, and 1%, respectively.
The transaction is significant in several respects. ICTSI moved swiftly to capitalize on the conducive market backdrop and pent-up investor demand to be the first Philippine corporate issuer to access the international bond markets following the volatility from the COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in oil prices. Upon issuance, the Notes will also be the first corporate bond offering from the Philippines to feature investment grade terms with no financial or leverage covenants.
Citigroup, Credit Suisse and J.P. Morgan acted as Joint Lead Managers and Joint Bookrunners for the offering of the Notes.
ICTSI is currently involved in 31 container terminal facilities in 18 countries worldwide, with a focus on origin and destination and gateway ports in emerging and frontier markets.
