Rating Rationale
January 25, 2024 | Mumbai
Cheviot Co Ltd
Ratings reaffirmed at 'CRISIL A+/Stable/CRISIL A1+'
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities RatedRs.34 Crore
Long Term RatingCRISIL A+/Stable (Reaffirmed)
Short Term RatingCRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed)
Note: None of the Directors on CRISIL Ratings Limited’s Board are members of rating committee and thus do not participate in discussion or assignment of any ratings. The Board of Directors also does not discuss any ratings at its meetings.
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to Annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities

Detailed Rationale

CRISIL Ratings has reaffirmed its ‘CRISIL A+/Stable/CRISIL A1+’ ratings on the bank facilities of Cheviot Co Ltd (CCL).

 

The ratings continue to reflect a healthy market position in the jute industry and strong financial risk profile. These strengths are partially offset by exposure to regulatory risks, and easy access to cheaper substitutes.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description

Strengths:

  • Healthy market position in the jute industry, supported by diversified product portfolio: The business risk profile is supported by a diversified product profile, wide reach, healthy operating efficiency, and the experience of the promoters. Since the current promoter-family took over the company in 1976, it started manufacturing various specialty jute products such as yarn and superior-quality hessian and fabrics. This diversifies revenue and limits the risk of any one product becoming obsolete. Besides processing jute, the company produces high-yielding, value-added products such as yarn, hessian, and superior hessian cloth. Its yarn and superior hessian have wide acceptance in the international market and generate high profitability. Moreover, CCL successfully commissioned its new weaving unit in fiscal 2023. However, as market sentiments and export demand remain muted on account of global challenges, the capacity utilization of the new unit is lower than expected. For H1 fiscal 2024, revenue was estimated around Rs 242 crore (Rs 311 crore for H1 fiscal 2023) against Ebita margin of 11.2% (10.7% for H1 fiscal 2023). However, gradual revival in demand, both domestic and exports, leading to ramp up in capacity utilizations, will strengthen CCLs market position and contain impact of rise in employee cost with effect from February 2024 over the medium term.

 

  • Strong financial risk profile: Healthy networth of Rs 466 crore as on March 31, 2023 is supported by steady revenue and healthy profitability coupled with controlled dividend payout. Healthy networth supports capital structure, yielding gearing and total outside liabilities to total networth ratios of 0.01 time and 0.08 time, respectively for fiscal 2023, and the metrices have remained on the same level in the past 5 fiscals. Operating efficiency through regular capex for technology upgrade and replacement of old machinery is generally through internal funding. In absence of large, debt funded capital expenditure (capex), even in fiscal 2024, capital structure is expected to remain comfortable on the back of steady accretion to reserves. Debt protection metrices have also been healthy. Going forward, CCL is expected to retain its market position translating into sustenance of healthy financial position and flexibility.

 

Weakness:

  • Exposure to regulatory risks, and easy access to cheaper substitutes: The domestic jute industry is highly regulated, especially in key areas such as pricing and sales. The minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute, announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to prop up jute prices and ensure security for farmers, varies from state to state and with jute variety, affecting the end-price of jute products. Also, under the aegis of the Jute Packaging Material (compulsory use in packaging commodities) Act (JPMA), 1987, the government has made it mandatory to use jute bags for packaging of sugar and food grains for consignments of 26-100 kg. This regulation has been a key growth driver for the industry. The act, however, exempts consumer packs of 25 kg and below and packaging of food grains and sugar for export. Also, conditions of the act are diluted as substitutes such as plastic bags are available at 30-50% lower prices. Besides, the government occasionally permits reuse of jute sacks for storage of food grains, affecting sales. Additionally, the government is the largest consumer of jute sacks in the domestic market, accounting for nearly 60% of demand.

Liquidity: Strong

Liquidity will continue to be supported by investments in debt and equity marketable investments, and unencumbered cash balance, estimated around Rs 280 crore on September 30, 2023. Board of Directors have declared final dividend of Rs 27 per share for fiscal 2023, amounting to a dividend payout of Rs 16.25 crore in fiscal 2024. No significant dilution of liquidity position is expected over the medium term. Regular capex to be funded through cash accrual without adversely impacting liquidity. 

 

Bank limit utilization is low at around 20.87 percent for the past twelve months ending September 2023.  Cash accruals are expected to be over Rs 30-40 crore against nil term debt obligation over the medium term. In addition, it will act as a cushion to the liquidity of the company. The current ratio was healthy at 5.73 times on March 31, 2023. Low gearing and strong networth support CCLs financial flexibility and provides necessary financial cushion to navigate any adverse conditions or downturn in the business that may arise.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL Ratings believes CCL will continue to benefit from the experience of the promoters, diversified product profile, and wide distribution network, and maintain a strong financial risk profile.

Rating Sensitivity factors

Upward factors

  • Sizeable and sustained improvement in scale of operations on back of stabilization of the new weaving unit, strengthening market position with operating margins of around 12-13% generating higher cash accruals.
  • Sustenance of financial risk profile with an increase in safe investments.

 

Downward factors

  • A decline in scale of operations with margins falling below 10% diluting CCLs market position.
  • Large dividend payout or investments in risky assets exerting pressure on financial risk profile, also leading to significant dilution of liquidity position.

About the Company

Incorporated in 1897, CCL is the flagship company of the Cheviot group, which has interests in the jute, tea, and leather businesses. The company got its current name in 1976, when Mr B D Kanoria took it over. Currently, his son Mr H V Kanoria is the chairman and managing director. CCL manufactures and exports high-value, non-traditional, diversified jute yarn and fabric, such as precision fine jute yarn, sacking cloth, hessian cloth and bags, sacking bags (for packing food grain and other allied purposes), 4–36-pound jute yarn and superior hessian cloth. It has two manufacturing units in West Bengal: at Budge-Budge and Falta Special Economic Zone (an export-oriented unit). The company generates around 40% of its revenue from exports. It also has a captive power plant with an installed capacity of 3.14 megawatts; power requirement is, however, sourced from CESC Ltd, and the captive plant is used as a stand-by arrangement.

Key Financial Indicators

As on / for the period ended March 31

 

2023

2022

Operating income

Rs crore

564

571

Reported profit after tax

Rs crore

53

79

PAT margins

%

9.4

13.9

Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Net worth

Times

0.0

0.0

Interest coverage

Times

172.3

1874.9

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the 'Annexure - Details of Instrument' in this Rating Rationale.

CRISIL Ratings will disclose complexity level for all securities - including those that are yet to be placed - based on available information. The complexity level for instruments may be updated, where required, in the rating rationale published subsequent to the issuance of the instrument when details on such features are available.

For more details on the CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels please visit www.crisilratings.com. 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 crore)

Complexity

level

Rating assigned

with outlook

NA

Cash Credit

NA

NA

NA

10

NA

CRISIL A+/Stable

NA

Letter of Credit

NA

NA

NA

15

NA

CRISIL A1+

NA

Non-Fund Based Limit

NA

NA

NA

7

NA

CRISIL A1+

NA

Proposed Term Loan

NA

NA

NA

2

NA

CRISIL A+/Stable

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2024 (History) 2023  2022  2021  Start of 2021
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities LT 12.0 CRISIL A+/Stable   --   -- 17-11-22 CRISIL A1+ / CRISIL A+/Stable 31-08-21 CRISIL A1+ / CRISIL A+/Stable CRISIL A1+ / CRISIL A+/Stable
      --   --   --   --   -- CRISIL A1+
Non-Fund Based Facilities ST 22.0 CRISIL A1+   --   -- 17-11-22 CRISIL A1+ 31-08-21 CRISIL A1+ CRISIL A1+
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Cash Credit 10 Axis Bank Limited CRISIL A+/Stable
Letter of Credit 15 Axis Bank Limited CRISIL A1+
Non-Fund Based Limit 7 Axis Bank Limited CRISIL A1+
Proposed Term Loan 2 Not Applicable CRISIL A+/Stable
Criteria Details
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt

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