Rating Rationale
June 28, 2019 | Mumbai
Bafna Pharmaceuticals Limited
Ratings Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.57 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL D (Reaffirmed)
Short Term Rating CRISIL D (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its ratings on the bank facilities of Bafna Pharmaceuticals Limited (Bafna) at 'CRISIL D/CRISIL D'.
 
The rating reflects delays by Bafna in servicing its debt obligations. The delays have been caused by sluggish operating performance over the past year resulting in cash losses. Besides, the company's liquidity has also weakened due to a significant stretch in receivables.
 
During July 2018, one of the company's creditors, Aries had has filed a case against the company under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 with the Chennai Bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) towards total pending dues of Rs 49.2 crore. During January 2019, Bafna had submitted the resolution plan, which was approved by 75% of the financial creditors at the Committee of Creditors meeting. During February 2019, the Chennai bench of NCLT approved the resolution plan and ordered that 70% of the claim amount shall be paid within three months of the approval date. NCLT also ordered the reduction in share capital of all equity shareholders to 10% of the share capital (from 2.36 crore shares to 0.236 crore shares outstanding).

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Weakness:
* Constrained financial risk profile:
Bafna's financial risk profile is sub-par, as reflected by weak debt protection metrics; gearing and interest coverage ratio deteriorated to 2.33 times and -5.91 times respectively as on March 31, 2019 from 1.16 times and -0.59 times in the previous year. Company also reported cash losses in fiscal 2019 due to muted operations, leading to high reliance on short term working capital debt.
 
* Working capital intensive operations
Receivables was 209 days (gross current assets of 378 days) as on March 31, 2019 due to delayed payment from domestic institutional clients; government hospitals in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
 
Strengths:
* Extensive experience of promoters
Presence of more than two decades in the pharmaceutical industry has enables the promoter to expand operations in both the domestic as well as global markets.
Liquidity

Liquidity remains weak. Weak operating performance in fiscal 2019 has resulted in cash loss, and delay in servicing debt. Further because of large working capital requirement on account of stretched receivables. Liquidity is unlikely to improve over the medium term without equity infusion and turnaround in operations. 

About the Company

Bafna was set up in 1981 as a proprietary concern by Mr. Bafna Mahaveer Chand; it was reconstituted as a public limited company in 1995. The promoter, along with his relatives and friends, owns 40.81 per cent of Bafna's equity; the remaining is owned by the public and bodies corporate.
 
Bafna commenced production in October 1984 with a tablet manufacturing facility at Madhavaram in Chennai and added capsule and oral syrup facilities. In 2001, the company set up a unit for producing betalactam products. While Bafna has, over the years, focused on institutional and generic supplies of pharmaceutical products, it has also steadily increased the number of product registrations in the international market.
 
The company commissioned its second manufacturing facility in Grantylon (Tamil Nadu). Bafna has also set up a formulations research and development unit at the Grantylon unit. The unit manufactures non-betalactam products for regulated markets in the UK and the US, and new products for markets in India and Sri Lanka. Bafna acquired the Raricap brand from Johnson and Johnson Ltd in April 2011.
 
Bafna sold its branded generics business (including Raricap and seven other brands) to Strides Arcolab Ltd (Strides Arcolab) through a special purpose vehicle, Strides Actives Pvt Ltd (SAPL), for Rs 48.1 crore and a 26 per cent stake in SAPL. Bafna has the option to exit SAPL after five years at a minimum floor price of Rs 10 crore. Bafna will continue to undertake contract manufacturing for these products of SAPL for a period of five years, post which the contract may be renewed.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2019 2018
Revenue Rs crore 43.8 48.2
Profit after tax (PAT) Rs crore -19.7 -16.5
PAT margins % -45.0 -34.1
Adjusted debt/Adjusted net worth Times 2.33 1.16
Interest coverage Times -5.9 -0.6

Status of non cooperation with previous CRA: Not applicable

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments. The CRISIL complexity levels are available on www.crisil.com/complexity-levels. Users are advised to refer to the CRISIL complexity levels for instruments that they consider for investment. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of Instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size
(Rs Cr)
Rating Assigned
with Outlook
NA Cash Credit* NA NA NA 25 CRISIL D
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 3 CRISIL D
NA Export Packing Credit* NA NA NA 8 CRISIL D
NA Foreign Bill Discounting* NA NA NA 5 CRISIL D
NA Letter of Credit & Bank Guarantee# NA NA NA 9 CRISIL D
NA Long Term Loan^ NA NA Mar-17 1.65 CRISIL D
NA Proposed Long Term
Bank Loan Facility
NA NA NA 5.35 CRISIL D
*100% two-way interchangeability among cash credit, export packing credit, and foreign bills discounting (non-letter of credit) limits.
#One-way interchangeability from NFB to FBWC limit to the extent of Rs 4 crore
^Details Awaited
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2019 (History) 2018  2017  2016  Start of 2016
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  92.00  CRISIL D      15-03-18  CRISIL D  31-01-17  CRISIL D  12-07-16  CRISIL C  CRISIL BB-/Stable 
                    18-02-16  CRISIL D   
Non Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  9.00  CRISIL D      15-03-18  CRISIL D  31-01-17  CRISIL D  12-07-16  CRISIL A4  CRISIL A4+ 
                    18-02-16  CRISIL D   
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of various bank facilities
Current facilities Previous facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Rating
Cash Credit* 25 CRISIL D Cash Credit* 25 CRISIL D
Cash Credit 3 CRISIL D Cash Credit 3 CRISIL D
Export Packing Credit* 8 CRISIL D Export Packing Credit* 8 CRISIL D
Foreign Bill Discounting* 5 CRISIL D Foreign Bill Discounting* 5 CRISIL D
Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee# 9 CRISIL D Letter of credit & Bank Guarantee# 9 CRISIL D
Long Term Loan 1.65 CRISIL D Long Term Loan 1.65 CRISIL D
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 5.35 CRISIL D Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 5.35 CRISIL D
Total 57 -- Total 57 --
*100% two-way interchangeability among cash credit, export packing credit, and foreign bills discounting (non-letter of credit) limits.
#One-way interchangeability from NFB to FBWC limit to the extent of Rs 4 crore
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
Rating Criteria for the Pharmaceutical Industry
CRISILs Approach to Recognising Default
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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