SES S.A. has successfully launched a bond offering in which it has agreed to sell senior unsecured fixed rate notes due in 2026 for a total amount of EUR500 million.
The notes will bear a Coupon of 1.625% per annum er annum and were priced at 99.34% of their nominal value.
SES is rated Baa2 by Moody’s (with stable outlook) and BBB by Standard & Poor’s (with stable outlook). Proceeds of the issuance will be used for general corporate purposes (which includes the refinancing of existing debt).
With this transaction, SES has taken advantage of the current attractive market conditions to further strengthen its liquidity profile ahead of a EUR500 million senior debt maturity later this year and issue a bond with the lowest coupon in the company’s history.
BBVA, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, HSBC, ING and J.P. Morgan acted as joint bookrunners. The settlement is scheduled for 22 March 2018 and application has been made for the notes to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The securities were placed with a broad range of institutional investors across Europe.
Padraig McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer of SES, commented: “We are pleased to have secured this financing which allows us to proactively refinance an upcoming debt maturity at more favourable terms. The successful conclusion of this bond offering reflects the market’s view of SES as a strong investment grade credit, and underlines our ability to secure funding at attractive terms.”
