British telecom giant Vodafone could face a downgrade in its credit rating by Standard and Poor's if its proposed bid for Hutchison Essar Ltd exceeds $19 billion, a media report said in London.
Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin could trigger a credit downgrade for his company if his planned bid values the Indian mobile operator significantly over $19 billion, The Daily Telegraph said.
The report quoted credit rating giant Standard & Poor's as saying that a 'meaningful step-up' in Sarin's planned offer could cause it to cut its debt rating on Vodafone from 'A-' to 'BBB+' due to increase in cost of new borrowings.
It would be S&P's second downgrade in less than a year on Vodafone, reflecting rising debt levels and increased risk from
the emerging markets it is moving into, the report said.
"If Vodafone saw an offer too good not to take in India there is a risk that they could push the envelope a bit further," S&P analyst Simon Redmond was quoted as saying.
Vodafone already owns about 10 per cent stake in India's top mobile player Bharti and is seeking to sell this minority stake and buy a controlling stake in Hutch Essar.
S&P expected Vodafone to get around $2.3 billion for the Bharti stake, but a $19.3 billion bid for Hutchison Essar would increase net debt to around $48.3 billion, the report said.
It also quoted brokerage firm Exane BNP Paribas as saying it 'failed to understand' how a bid valuing HEL at $17 to $18 billion could create value for Vodafone.
