Retail

ConAgra Debt Rating Cut at S&P

supermarket
Thinkstock
Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has cut its ratings on debt for ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) from BBB to BBB- following the company’s announcement that it would finance its $6.8 billion acquisition of Ralcorp Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RAH) primarily with debt. S&P’s outlook for ConAgra is listed as “stable.”

The ratings cut leaves ConAgra’s debt just one notch above junk.

An S&P credit analyst said:

The downgrade for ConAgra reflects our belief that ConAgra will not be able to restore its credit measures, including adjusted debt to EBITDA to below 3x and funds from operations to total debt to nearly 30%, within two years.

The ratings firm estimates that ConAgra’s debt following the acquisition will total more than $10 billion, and other adjustments will push the total to about $11 billion.

ConAgra’s shares posted a 52-week high earlier this month, following better-than-expected quarterly results. Shares are trading down about 0.5% in the premarket this morning, at $29.06 in a 52-week range of $23.64 to $31.12.

Paul Ausick

Travel Cards Are Getting Too Good To Ignore (sponsored)

Credit card companies are pulling out all the stops, with the issuers are offering insane travel rewards and perks.

We’re talking huge sign-up bonuses, points on every purchase, and benefits like lounge access, travel credits, and free hotel nights. For travelers, these rewards can add up to thousands of dollars in flights, upgrades, and luxury experiences every year.

It’s like getting paid to travel — and it’s available to qualified borrowers who know where to look.

We’ve rounded up some of the best travel credit cards on the market. Click here to see the list. Don’t miss these offers — they won’t be this good forever.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

AI Portfolio

Discover Our Top AI Stocks

Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.

You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.