Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings) assigned an Issuer Credit Rating of PRS A (corp.), with a Stable Outlook, for Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corporation (CHPC). This is in relation to the company’s initial P2 billion tranche from a proposed Shelf Registration of Commercial Papers (CPs) of up to P6 billion.
A company rated PRS A (corp.) has an above average capacity to meet its financial commitments relative to that of other Philippine corporates. The company, however, is somewhat more susceptible to adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions than higher-rated corporates.
On the other hand, an Outlook is an indication as to the possible direction of any rating change within a one-year period and serves as a further refinement to the assigned credit rating for the guidance of investors, regulators, and the general public. A Stable Outlook is defined as: “The rating is likely to be maintained or to remain unchanged in the next twelve months.”
The rating and Outlook were assigned given the following key considerations: (1) Manageable liquidity and capitalization levels; (2) The Cirtek Group’s established track record in the industry, supported by a strong and experienced management team that has navigated the Group through economic cycles, crises, and industry challenges; (3) CHPC’s strong customer base of well-established and global companies, diversified in terms of region and industries; (4) Improved profit margins despite lower revenues, attributable to the company’s cost management efforts; and (5) Highly competitive and cyclical industry that is susceptible to adverse changes in various economies and characterized by the presence of larger international players.
PhilRatings’ ratings are based on available information and projections at the time that the rating review was performed. PhilRatings shall continuously monitor developments relating to CHPC and may change the rating at any time, should circumstances warrant a change.
Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corporation (CHPC) is a fully integrated global technology company focused on wireless communication. It is an independent, complete solutions provider for subcontract manufacturing of semiconductor devices and provides a broad range of assembly and testing services for various product applications and industries. CHPC is primarily engaged into the following related businesses: (1) the design, development and delivery of the wireless industry’s antenna solutions, (2) the manufacture of valued-added, highly integrated technology products, (3) the manufacture and sales of semiconductor packages as an independent subcontractor for outsourced semiconductor assembly, test and packaging services.
Members of CHPC’s senior management team have been around for over 35 years and have weathered economic ups and downs and political crises in the Philippines. Through this time, it was able to grow its operations amidst a highly competitive and cyclical industry with larger international players.
CHPC has been offering its products and services to several customers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with 51%, 19% and 30% revenue contribution in 2019, respectively. Such exposes CHPC to diversified risks relating to the performance of the economies where these customers are based, particularly with the ongoing recession in most countries brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry is highly competitive and cyclical in nature, with the company operating in a market with larger international players. It is likewise affected by various factors in international trade and the performance of several large economies. In response to this, however, the group has made recent moves to provide more complex patented products to give itself a competitive edge and to be able to achieve higher margins. The telecommunications (telecom) sector, which comprises a huge portion of Quintel’s customers, currently has a positive industry outlook due to a surge in the traffic of data and voice. In sharp contrast to many other industries, telecom has been exempted from major Covid-19 related restrictions and is recognized as an essential service.
In 2019, the company’s revenues declined by 24.8% to $80.1 million. Revenue contraction was attributed to the widespread slowdown in global markets, particularly in the semiconductor industry, and the slow 5G rollout in the U.S. market which hindered the growth of the company’s operating units. Despite the decline in revenue, gross profit increased by 5.4% to $23.0 million as cost of sales decreased by 32.5% to $57.1 million. Net income in 2019 therefore registered a slight increase of 1.0% to $8.4 million, while net profit margin improved from 7.8% to 10.5%.
For the first nine months of 2020, consolidated revenues fell by 14.4% year-on-year to $59.5 million, largely driven by the 30.0% decrease in Quintel’s revenue contribution to $16.5 million. On account of the company’s cost reduction and management efforts, cost of sales went down by 18.4% to $44.4 million. Net income in 9M2020 registered a marginal decrease of 1.7% year-on-year to $3.6 million. Net profit margin, however, increased from 5.3% in 9M2019 to 6.1% in 9M2020.
With its current ratio stable at 1.4x and acid test ratio improved to 0.6x as of end-2019, the company ended 2019 with sufficient liquidity. As of end-September 2020, CHPC’s liquidity position remained satisfactory, with its current ratio and acid test ratio at 1.1x and 0.5x, respectively.
The company’s capitalization level also remained manageable, with its debt to equity ratio stable at 1.1x as of end-2019 and remaining roughly unchanged as of end-September 2020. CHPC is seen to attain a much more conservative capital structure in the future, on account of its planned equity raising activities and the continuous payment of existing debt.
