PrefBlog

DBRS Limited has announced that it:

upgraded Enbridge Inc.’s (ENB or the Company) Issuer Rating and Senior Unsecured Notes rating both to A (low), Preferred Shares rating to Pfd-2 (low), and Commercial Paper rating to R-1 (low). Morningstar DBRS also confirmed the credit rating of the existing Subordinated Notes (Existing Subordinated Notes) at BBB (low) and assigned a final credit rating of BBB to its Fixed-to-Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes due March 15, 2055, and Fixed-to-Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes due June 27, 2054 (together, the New Subordinated Notes). All trends are Stable. Morningstar DBRS also upgraded Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P.’s (EEP) Senior Unsecured Notes rating to A (low) with a Stable trend based on ENB’s guarantee; EEP in turn guarantees ENB’s Senior Unsecured Notes. ENB also guarantees the Senior Unsecured Notes of Spectra Energy Partners, L.P., which in turn guarantees ENB’s Senior Unsecured Notes. At the same time, Morningstar DBRS has removed the Under Review With Developing Implications (UR-Dev.) status of the credit ratings of ENB and EEP.

KEY CREDIT RATING CONSIDERATIONS
The credit ratings were placed UR-Dev. in September 2023 following the announcement that ENB had entered into definitive agreements (the Acquisition) with Dominion Energy, Inc. to acquire (1) East Ohio Gas Company (EOG); (2) Questar Gas Company (Questar Gas) and its related Wexpro companies (Wexpro, and collectively with Questar Gas, Questar); and (3) Public Service Company of North Carolina, Incorporated (PSNC; collectively, the Local Distribution Companies (LDCs)) for a total purchase price of USD 14.0 billion ($19 billion¿translated at USD/CAD 1.35), including the assumption of approximately USD 4.6 billion in debt. At the time, Morningstar DBRS had noted that the Acquisition should have a positive impact on ENB’s business risk profile, and should the financing plan result in minimal to no impact on the Company’s key credit metrics as of March 31, 2023 (please see Morningstar DBRS’ rating report on the Company dated June 28, 2023, for further details), Morningstar DBRS may consider a positive credit rating action.

ENB has made material progress on closing the Acquisition and the associated financing plan. The acquisition of EOG and Questar, which together account for the largest contribution to earnings from the Acquisition, closed in March 2024 and June 2024, respectively, with no material changes in terms and conditions from when the Acquisition was announced. ENB expects the acquisition of PSNC to close in Q3 2024. ENB’s financing plan is also now largely complete with the purchase price of $12.8 billion funded with equity and asset sales totaling approximately $6.2 billion and the issuance of Subordinated Notes for approximately $3.7 billion. Morningstar DBRS expects the balance to be raised from a mix of the recent issuance of the New Subordinated Notes, at-the-market equity issuance program, and/or asset sales.

Morningstar DBRS believes that the collective business risk profile of the utility assets is stronger than the weighted average of ENB’s current investment portfolio. Each LDC is state-regulated and operates under a cost-of-service framework with no exposure to natural gas price risk or volume risk. All three LDCs are allowed timely operating costs and capital expenditure recovery, subject to only modest regulatory lags. Combined, the LDCs provide natural gas distribution services to nearly 3.0 million customers with the strongest base of customers at EOG and Questar, which serve approximately 1.2 million customers each. EOG (rate base $6.0 billion in 2022) is a single-state LDC operating an extensive gas distribution system with more than 40 interconnections across nine interstate gas pipelines. EOG is anticipated to have the potential for a substantial rate base increase driven by modernization efforts. Questar (rate base $3.9 billion in 2022) largely operates in Utah and has a one-of-a-kind agreement with Wexpro that provides up to 65% of Questar’s annual gas supply on a cost-of-service arrangement. PSNC (rate base $2.6 billion in 2022) is a single-state LDC in North Carolina. Both Questar and PSNC are experiencing growth primarily driven by population expansion within their respective service territories.

Morningstar DBRS views the planned acquisition of the regulated gas utility businesses as providing a more stable source of cash flow generation with lower risk compared with ENB’s existing business risk profile. The Acquisition is expected to double the contribution of ENB’s regulated gas distribution businesses to approximately 23% of total adjusted EBITDA (Morningstar DBRS estimate for 2025) from 13% currently. ENB will benefit from greater geographic and regulatory diversification with higher regulatory returns on equity and thicker deemed equity. Finally, ENB will stand to potentially gain from synergies, as the Acquisition would form the largest natural gas distribution utility in North America, by volume, with a rate base exceeding $27 billion serving approximately 7 million customers in Canada and the U.S.

Given the material proceeds from equity and asset sales used in financing the Acquisition, Morningstar DBRS expects the Company’s financial risk profile to remain supportive of the credit ratings. Morningstar DBRS expects the Company will maintain its cash flow-to-debt ratio between 14% and 15% from 2025 onwards, which is likely to be the first full year after close of the Acquisition.

The Existing Subordinated Notes and the New Subordinated Notes rank equally in right of payment until the occurrence of certain bankruptcy and related events at which time the Existing Subordinated Notes would automatically convert into preferred shares. The Existing Subordinated Notes would then rank below the New Subordinated Notes. According to Morningstar DBRS’ Hierarchy Principle, as outlined in the Morningstar DBRS “Credit Ratings Global Policy,” the Existing Subordinated Notes, being subordinate to the New Subordinated Notes in the event of insolvency of the Company, should be rated one notch lower than the New Subordinated Notes (i.e., BBB (low)), hence the confirmation at BBB (low) of the Existing Subordinated Notes, despite the upgrade to the Issuer Rating

CREDIT RATING DRIVERS
A positive credit rating action is unlikely in medium term unless there is a successful resolution of the Line 5 dispute and the Company maintains its consolidated cash flow-to-debt ratio of higher than 17.5%. While unlikely in the medium term, a negative credit rating action could occur if the Company’s consolidated cash flow-to-debt ratio stays consistently less than 12.5%

EARNINGS OUTLOOK
Morningstar expects EBITDA in 2024 and 2025 to grow at around 8% primarily because of the Acquisition and commercially secured projects that are expected to come into service over the next two years.

FINANCIAL OUTLOOK
Morningstar DBRS expects cash flow from operations to also trend higher as a result of higher earnings. While overall debt levels are expected to increase as the Company funds a part of its secured capital program from debt, Morningstar DBRS expects the Company to stay within its target Debt/EBITDA range of 4.5 times (x) to 5.0x.

CREDIT RATING RATIONALE
ENB’s credit ratings are supported by (1) a high level of geographic and product-mix diversification and large scale; (2) low-risk operations that provide stable income and cash flow; and (3) strong natural gas transmission, distribution, and storage businesses, which have been enhanced materially by the Acquisition. The credit ratings are constrained by (1) pipeline competition, volume, and operational risks; (2) structural subordination at ENB; and (3) rising environmental, regulatory, and political risks

Affected issues are (deep breath): ENB.PF.A, ENB.PF.C, ENB.PF.E, ENB.PF.G, ENB.PF.K, ENB.PR.A, ENB.PR.B, ENB.PR.D, ENB.PR.F, ENB.PR.H, ENB.PR.J, ENB.PR.N, ENB.PR.P, ENB.PR.T and ENB.PR.Y.

This is a pretty big deal, for those who care about such things. ENB comprises about 11.5% of ZPR (as of mid-November, 2023) and about 8.4% of CPD (as of mid-March, 2021, according to my notes made during my PrefLetter monitoring. So measured credit quality for the preferred share market has just improved considerably! Enbridge issues have been rated P-2(low) by S&P since June, 2015.

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. has announced:

that it has sent today to all shareholders of its Non-Cumulative Class A Preferred Shares Series B (TSX: IAF.PR.B) (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) a formal notice and instructions for the redemption of the Series B Preferred Shares outstanding as of today (the “Series B Redemption”). Upon the Series B Redemption scheduled for July 29, 2024, iA Insurance will pay to the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares the redemption price consisting of $25 plus an amount equal to the cash dividend in respect of the third quarter, pro rated to the redemption date. There are 5,000,000 Series B Preferred Shares outstanding as of today.

Separately from the redemption price, the regular second quarter dividend of $0.2875 per Series B Preferred Share will be paid in the usual manner on July 2, 2024 to preferred shareholders of record on May 24, 2024. After the Series B Preferred Shares are redeemed, holders of Series B Preferred Shares will cease to be entitled to distributions of dividends and will not be entitled to exercise any rights as holders other than to receive the redemption price.

This issue was originally issued as IAG.PR.A as a 4.60% Straight Perpetual and commenced trading 2006-2-4, before PrefBlog was invented. The ticker changed to IAF.PR.B on 2019-1-4. This redemption was foreshadowed by the announcement of an LRCN issue by the holding company.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader newbiepref for bringing this to my attention!

The Toronto-Dominion Bank has announced:

that it will exercise its right to redeem all of its 18,000,000 outstanding Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset Class A First Preferred Shares, Series 24 (Non-Viability Contingent Capital) (the “Series 24 Shares”) on July 31, 2024 at the price of $25.00 per Series 24 Share for an aggregate total of approximately $450 million. The redemption has been approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

On May 23, 2024, TD announced that dividends of $0.31875 per Series 24 Share had been declared. These will be the final dividends on the Series 24 Shares, and will be paid in the usual manner on July 31, 2024 to shareholders of record on July 10, 2024, as previously announced. After July 31, 2024, the Series 24 Shares will cease to be entitled to dividends and the only remaining rights of holders of such shares will be to receive payment of the redemption amount.

Beneficial holders who are not directly the registered holder of Series 24 Shares should contact the financial institution, broker or other intermediary through which they hold these shares to confirm how they will receive their redemption proceeds. Inquiries should be directed to our Registrar and Transfer Agent, TSX Trust Company, at 1-800-387-0825 (or in Toronto 416-682-3860).

TD.PF.M was issued as a FixedReset 5.10%+356, NVCC, that commenced trading 2019-6-4 after being announced 2019-5-24. This redemption was foreshadowed by a large LRCN issue. The issue is tracked by HIMIPref™ and is assigned to the FixedReset (Premium) subindex.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader niagara for bringing this to my attention!

The Toronto-Dominion Bank has announced:

that it will exercise its right to redeem all of its 20,000,000 outstanding Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset Class A First Preferred Shares, Series 3 (Non-Viability Contingent Capital) (the “Series 3 Shares”) on July 31, 2024 at the price of $25.00 per Series 3 Share for an aggregate total of approximately $500 million. The redemption has been approved by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

On May 23, 2024, TD announced that dividends of $0.2300625 per Series 3 Share had been declared. These will be the final dividends on the Series 3 Shares, and will be paid in the usual manner on July 31, 2024 to shareholders of record on July 10, 2024, as previously announced. After July 31, 2024, the Series 3 Shares will cease to be entitled to dividends and the only remaining rights of holders of such shares will be to receive payment of the redemption amount.

Beneficial holders who are not directly the registered holder of Series 3 Shares should contact the financial institution, broker or other intermediary through which they hold these shares to confirm how they will receive their redemption proceeds. Inquiries should be directed to our Registrar and Transfer Agent, TSX Trust Company, at 1-800-387-0825 (or in Toronto 416-682-3860).

TD.PF.B was issued as a FixedReset 3.80%+227, NVCC-compliant, issue that commenced trading 2014-7-31 after being announced 2014-7-22. TD provided notice of extension on 2019-6-25. The issue reset At 3.681% effective 2019-7-31. I recommended against conversion and there was no conversion. This redemption was foreshadowed by a big LRCN issue. The issue is tracked by HIMIPref™ and is assigned to the FixedReset (Discount) subindex.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader niagara for bringing this to my attention!