Rating Rationale
May 09, 2019 | Mumbai
Brigade Enterprises Limited
Rating outlook revised to 'Stable', rating reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.350 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL A/Stable (Outlook revised from 'Negative' and rating reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has revised its rating outlook on the long-term bank facility of Brigade Enterprises Limited (BEL; part of the Brigade group) to 'Stable' from 'Negative', while reaffirming the rating at 'CRISIL A'.
 
The outlook revision reflects the group's enhanced ability to generate steady cash inflow, supported by pick-up in saleability with new project launches in the residential business segment, and improved revenue from the commercial and hospitality businesses. Demand for residential real estate has witnessed good traction in the 9 months ended December 31, 2018, with sales improving to 20.0 lakh square feet (sq. ft) against 11.4 lakh sq. ft for the corresponding period during the previous year. Sales have exceeded the level achieved during entire fiscal 2018 (15.7 lakh sq. ft) in the 9 months itself and the momentum is likely to continue over the medium term. Additionally, collection efficiency remained robust in fiscal 2019, with the group accumulating Rs 1,165 crore in the 9 months ended December 2018, against Rs 1,269 crore for fiscal 2018. Revenue visibility remains strong, supported by steady income from lease and hospitality businesses as well as launch pipeline of close to 40 lakh sq. ft for fiscal 2020 in the residential segment. Portfolio quality is healthy, with average saleability and construction progress of 49% and 66%, respectively, for the ongoing projects. However, any fluctuation in project saleability and collections will remain key rating sensitivity factor.
 
Continued focus on project completion and expenditure in the commercial and hospitality segments resulted in increase in debt. However, the same has been in line with CRISIL's expectation. Furthermore, half of the total debt is backed by highly stable rent-generating assets and income from hotels, while 30% is towards under-construction commercial and hospitality projects that are running as per schedule and are expected to add significantly to the group's cash inflow over the medium term. Around 60.0 lakh sq. ft of commercial space and 4 hotels comprising 582 keys are under development as of December 2018, and these businesses are expected to drive growth over the medium term.
 
Financial flexibility is adequate, and incremental debt will be utilised towards capital expenditure (capex) and land purchase. Unsold inventory of around Rs 3,300 crore and land bank of 434.4 lakh sq. ft (total developable area) as of December 31, 2018, along with incremental rentals from leasing business as well as stabilisation of the hospitality business provide flexibility to raise additional debt. However, higher-than-expected increase in debt level will impact the rating and remain a key rating sensitivity factor.   
 
The rating continues to reflect the Brigade group's strong track record in the real estate market in Bengaluru, moderately diverse revenue profile, and adequate financial flexibility supported by demonstrated refinancing ability and steady construction progress in ongoing projects. These strengths are partially offset by high debt levels stemming from past land acquisition and capex outlays, and exposure to cyclicality inherent in the real estate segment.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at the rating, CRISIL has fully combined the business and financial risk profiles of all ongoing and planned projects in BEL and those in its subsidiaries and associate companies. All these entities, collectively referred to as the Brigade group, are in the same business, have common promoters, and share significant operational, managerial, and financial linkages.
 
CRISIL has treated fully convertible debentures of (FCDs) Rs 258 crore (as on March 31, 2018) from GIC as neither debt nor equity. The instruments are long-tenured (converted into equity at the end of 20 years; March 9, 2036, for Rs 238 crore and April 6, 2037, for Rs 20 crore), and the coupon and principal payment have no scheduled due date. GIC and BEL have jointly invested in three land parcels till date. The two companies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to jointly invest Rs 1,500 crore in land purchase.
 
Also, unsecured loans of Rs 105 crore (as on March 31, 2018) from promoters have been treated as neither debt nor equity as these are from promoters, are interest-free, and do not have fixed repayment schedule.

Please refer Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated, which captures the list of entities considered and their analytical treatment of consolidation.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths:
* Strong track record and established position in Bengaluru market: The Brigade group is a prominent developer in Bengaluru, with a healthy track record of over 30 years in the real estate business. It has developed close to 300 lakh sq. ft, mostly in the residential segment. Strong position is evident from its established brand, and market share of 3-5%; a healthy share for the highly fragmented real estate industry.

* Moderately diversified revenue profile: The Brigade group's income is derived from three main businesses: real estate development, lease assets, and hospitality. The group is expected to generate around Rs 1,800 crore of cash inflow in fiscal 2019, with real estate development contributing close 70% of the inflow.

In addition to the ongoing real estate development portfolio of 136.1 lakh sq. ft, the group has a healthy lease asset portfolio of around 22.4 lakh sq. ft and five operational hotels (three in Bengaluru and one each in Mysuru and Chennai) as on December 31, 2018; one more hotel, 218 keys in Kochi, became operational in January 2019. Customer advances of Rs 1,165 crore were received in the 9 months ended December 31, 2018, supported by the strong traction in saleability with launch of around 51.0 lakh sq. ft of new projects. A significant portion of the new launches targeted the mid-income group (ticket size per unit between Rs 0.75-1.0 crore), thereby driving sales growth. Consequently, collections also improved. While sales and collections are expected to moderate in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 due to revision change in the GST rate for under construction projects, which deferred customer's purchase decision; the momentum is expected to pick from April 2019. Future sales and collections will also be supported by launch pipeline of around 40.0 lakh sq. ft for fiscal 2020.

Inflows from the lease and hospitality businesses also improved to Rs 458 crore for the 9 months ended December 2018, against Rs 523 crore for fiscal 2018. Cash flows will be supported by further stabilisation of operations in the commercial and hospitality businesses, which are currently undergoing capex cycle. The group is expected to add around 60.0 lakh sq. ft of leasable commercial/retail area and expand its hospitality business to about 1,500 keys over the next 24-36 months. The resulting increased diversification will help offset the higher volatility in the residential segment.

* Adequate financial flexibility: The group's financial risk profile is characterised by moderate collections from the real estate segment; customer advances of more than Rs 1,500 crore will be generated from this segment over the medium term. Furthermore, financial flexibility is supplemented by the group's demonstrated refinancing ability, access to unutilised bank limit of Rs 935 crore, and flexibility to raise additional lease rental discounting loan against its expected lease income of over Rs 300 crore per annum.

Weaknesses:
* High debt level due to large land acquisition and development plans: Capital structure is leveraged, with adjusted gearing of 1.22 times as on March 31, 2018, which is estimated to be around 1.30 times as on March 31, 2019. Aggressive land acquisitions in the past and heighted capex in the commercial and hospitality segments have resulted in high debt levels.

The group does not have an immediate plan to acquire any large land parcel in this fiscal. This, coupled with improved saleability and collections in the real estate development segment, resulted in debt of Rs 3,181 crore as on December 31, 2018, against Rs 3,027 crore (CRISIL adjusted) as on March 31, 2018. CRISIL believes the group's cash flow position could be adversely impacted by any sharp increase in debt for aggressive land acquisition or funding project construction work in case of subdued sales; and these will remain key rating sensitivity factors.

* Exposure to cyclicality inherent in the real estate sector: Cyclicality in the real estate segment could lead to fluctuations in cash inflow because of volatility in realisations and saleability. In contrast, cash outflow, such as debt repayment, are relatively fixed.
Liquidity

The Brigade group has adequate liquidity supported by good saleability and collections in the ongoing projects as well as expected for new launches. CRISIL expects customer advances to be in the range of Rs 1200-1900 crore over the medium. External borrowing has been used to fund only 13% (ratio of outstanding debt to total project cost of ongoing portfolio) of project cost as of December 2018. Customer advances (to be received from sold inventory) to pending project cost ratio of 45% indicate moderate cash flow cushion. Long term debt repayment is expected to be around Rs 300 crore in fiscal 2020. The group has adequate financial flexibility to manage upcoming repayments. Brigade group has unsold inventory of around Rs 3,300 crore in ongoing projects along with almost fully paid up land bank with development potential of around 435 lakh sq. ft against which additional debt can be raised, if required. Furthermore, undrawn bank lines of Rs 935 crore and cash and equivalents of Rs 347 crore, as on December 31, 2018, support liquidity. Liquidity is further supplemented by steady cash and flows from lease and hospitality businesses and ability to raise additional lease rental discounting loans, if required.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes the Brigade group will maintain its strong business risk profile over the medium term, driven by its established market position. Financial risk profile is likely to remain adequate on account of its financial flexibility and backing of lease rentals to service much of the debt.

Upside scenario:
* Substantially higher-than-expected cash inflow, supported by significant saleability and progress of projects
* Substantial increase in share of lease and hospitality income in the overall sales mix

Downside scenario:
* Sharp decline in operating cash flow, triggered by slackened saleability of existing and proposed projects or delay in project execution
* Weakening of financial risk profile due to higher-than-expected borrowing
* Significant delay or cost overrun in the ongoing commercial and hospitality projects.

About the Group

BEL is the flagship company of the Brigade group, which was established in 1986 by Mr. M R Jaishankar, and is one of the largest players in the real estate market of South India. Till date, it has developed around 300 lakh sq. ft, 90% of which has been in the residential segment. Though it mainly focuses on the Bengaluru market, the group has developed projects in Mysuru, Cochin, Chennai, Mengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.
 
In the nine months ended December 31, 2018, consolidated net profit was Rs 210 crore on operating income of Rs 2,213 crore, against a net profit of Rs 117 crore on operating income of Rs 1,464 crore for the corresponding period of the previous year.

Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the period ended March 31, Unit 2018 2017
Operating income Rs crore 1,897 2,024
Profit after tax (PAT) Rs crore 123 167
PAT margin % 6.5 8.3
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times 1.22 1.18
Interest coverage Times 2.29 2.47

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 Proposed Long-Term Bank Loan Facility NA NA NA 350 CRISIL A/Stable
 
Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated
Fully consolidated entities (all entities having majority shareholding)
Brigade Tetrarch Pvt. Ltd, Brigade Estates & Projects Pvt. Ltd, Brigade Infrastructure & Power Pvt. Ltd, Orion Mall Management Co. Ltd, Brigade Hospitality Services Ltd, SRP Prosperita Hotel Ventures Ltd, WTC Trades & Projects Pvt. Ltd, Brigade Properties Pvt. Ltd, Brookefields Real Estates and Projects Pvt. Ltd, BCV Developers Pvt. Ltd, Brigade (Gujarat) Projects Pvt. Ltd, Perungudi Real Estates Pvt. Ltd, Mysore Projects Pvt. Ltd, Brigade Hotel Ventures Ltd, Augusta Club Pvt. Ltd
Moderately consolidated entities
Tandem Allied Services Pvt. Ltd (associate company with 37% shareholding)
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  350.00  CRISIL A/Stable      30-04-18  CRISIL A/Negative  24-04-17  CRISIL A/Negative  22-09-16  CRISIL A/Negative  CRISIL A/Stable 
                    10-02-16  CRISIL A/Stable   
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
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 350 CRISIL A/Stable Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 350 CRISIL A/Negative
Total 350 -- Total 350 --
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
CRISILs Rating criteria for Real Estate Developers
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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