Rating Rationale
October 28, 2020 | Mumbai
Dr. Agarwals Eye Hospital Limited
Rating Reaffirmed
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.35 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL A-/Stable (Reaffirmed)
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL has reaffirmed its 'CRISIL A-/Stable' rating on the bank facilities of Dr. Agarwals Eye Hospital Limited (AEHL).

AEHL's operations have been impacted since March 2020 and the first quarter of fiscal 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant country-wide lockdown. Footfalls in the centres of the hospital had witnessed significant reduction during the first quarter of the current fiscal, largely due to deferment of elective nature of procedures. Turnover for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 for the year was at around Rs.15.02 crore as against Rs.46.5 crore for the corresponding period during the previous fiscal. However, supported by gradual easing of restrictions from the second quarter of the year and pent up demand for surgeries from the earlier quarter, the turnover is expected to improve. Nevertheless, the turnover is expected to witness a decline in fiscal 2021.

 The ratings reflects the strong operational, technical and management support that AEHL receives from its parent Agarwals Healthcare Limited (AHCL). The ratings also factor in established market position, healthy brand recall in the eye care segment and its healthy financial risk profile. These strengths are partially offset by competition from other hospitals/standalone clinics and geographical concentration risk.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its rating, CRISIL has applied its framework on notching up for ratings for support received from parent; AHCL.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description
Strengths
* Strong operational, managerial, and financial support from AHCL: AHCL holds a stake of 71.75 percent in AEHL and will continue to provide full operational, managerial, and technical support over the medium term. CRISIL takes note of corporate guarantees on behalf of AEHL extended by AHCL, to the company's lenders, which assures payment of obligation.
 
* Established market position and healthy brand recall: AEHL has a strong presence in eye care majorly in Tamil Nadu, with 21 centers located in this state and one center in Rajasthan. With a long vintage, the company has built an established market position and healthy brand recall.
 
* Healthy financial risk profile:  AEHL's financial risk profile is healthy, as reflected from a strong capital structure and healthy debt protection metrics. The total outside liabilities to tangible networth ratio was comfortable at around 1.39 times as on March 31, 2020. Debt protection metrics are healthy marked by interest coverage and net cash accrual to total debt ratios at around 5.79 times and 1.93 times for fiscal 2020. In the absence of major debt funded capital expenditure, the financial risk profile is expected to remain strong over the medium term.
 
Weakness:
* Competition from other hospitals/standalone clinics: The company faces competition from other large multi-speciality hospitals, as well as neighborhood eye clinics. Despite well-established hospitals, the company continues to face competition from neighborhood eye clinics for smaller procedures like cataract and from large hospitals for more complex procedures.
 
* Geographic concentration risk: AEHL's scale of operations remains moderate, reflected by revenues at Rs.177 crore, for fiscal 2020, deriving most of its revenues from the state of Tamil Nadu. This renders the company to risks relating to geographic concentration.
Liquidity Strong

AEHL's liquidity is strong supported by moderate utilisation of bank limits and adequate cash accrual for meeting repayment obligations. The fund based working capital limits of have been utilized at an average of around 70-80 percent, over the last twelve months ended September 2020. AEHL's cash accrual is expected in the range of around Rs 15-20 crore per annum over the medium term, which shall be adequate to meet maturing term debt repayments. AEHL does not have any major debt funded capital expenditure over the medium term, supporting the liquidity. CRISIL believes AEHL's liquidity is expected to remain strong over the medium term.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believe AEHL will continue to benefit from strong market position and healthy brand recall over the medium term

Rating Sensitivity Factors
Upward factor
* Improvement in turnover by more than 25 percent, along with improvement in operating profitability
* Geographical diversification in revenue profile.

Downward factor
* Decline in interest coverage to less than 3 times
* Larger than expected capex or acquisitions resulting in weakening of financial risk profile.

About the Company

Incorporated in 1994, AEHL is engaged in the business of providing eye care and related businesses. It is listed on Bombay Stock Exchange. AHCL holds 71.75 percent of the shareholding in AEHL.

Key Financial Indicators
As on/for the period ended March 31 Unit 2020 2019
Operating income Rs crore 177.29 172.07
Reported profit after tax Rs crore 13.68 11.92
PAT margin % 7.7 7.01
Adjusted debt/Adjusted networth Times 0.32 0.55
Interest coverage Times 5.79 11.53

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL 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. For more details on the CRISIL complexity levels, please visit www.crisil.com/complexity-levels.
Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)
ISIN Name of instrument Date of allotment Coupon rate (%) Maturity date Issue size (Rs.Cr) Complexity Levels Rating assigned with outlook
NA Cash Credit NA NA NA 6.0 NA CRISIL A-/Stable
NA Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility NA NA NA 29.0 NA CRISIL A-/Stable
Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2020 (History) 2019  2018  2017  Start of 2017
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund-based Bank Facilities  LT/ST  35.00  CRISIL A-/Stable  03-01-20  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
Cash Credit 6 CRISIL A-/Stable Cash Credit 6 CRISIL A-/Stable
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 29 CRISIL A-/Stable Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 29 CRISIL A-/Stable
Total 35 -- Total 35 --
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
Criteria for Notching up Stand Alone Ratings of Companies based on Parent Support

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