Rating Rationale
July 30, 2019 | Mumbai
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.67.5 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL BBB+/Stable
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities
Detailed Rationale

CRISIL rating on the bank facilties of Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS; part of the Hindustan group) continue to rating reflect the Hindustan group's established position in the education sector in Tamil Nadu. The rating also factors in the group's healthy financial risk profile, marked by low gearing, above-average debt protection metrics and moderate debt service coverage ratio (DSCR). These rating strengths are partially offset by geographic concentration in the group's revenue profile, and its exposure to risks related to intense competition and to any adverse impact of regulatory changes in the education sector.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its rating, CRISIL has combined the business and financial risk profiles of Hindustan Engineering Training Centre (HETC) and HITS.. This is because the two institutes together referred to as the Hindustan group, operate in the same line of business, and have a common management team and fungible funds.

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
* Established regional position in the education sector, aided by its trustees' extensive industry experience

The Hindustan group offers diverse courses such as engineering, aeronautical, undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses in sciences, arts, commerce, management, computer applications, and a master's degree in business administration. The Hindustan group and its founders have a track record of nearly 60 years in the education sector. It currently has 7 institutions with over 17000 students. The group is expected to benefit over the medium term from its established market presence in Tamil Nadu region.

* Moderate Financial Risk Profile
Hindustan group's financial risk profile is moderate marked by a healthy capital structure and moderate debt service coverage ratio. The net worth and gearing are estimated to be above Rs 145 crore and less than 1 time respectively as on March 31, 2019. The DSCR is expected to be moderate over 2 times over the medium term.

Weaknesses
* Exposure to regulatory risks

The Hindustan group is regulated by various authorities such as AICTE, NAAC,
Anna University, the Government of Tamil Nadu, DGCA, and NBA. Each body has specified guidelines for introduction of courses, course content, student strength, infrastructure, student-teacher ratio, faculty members, and fee structure. Any non-compliance with the regulations could adversely affect the Hindustan group's operations.

* Geographical concentration in revenue profile: Hindustan group derives its entire revenue from Tamil Nadu, and is also exposed to competition from other schools and colleges in the region.
Liquidity

Hindustan group's liquidity is marked by moderate fund based limit utilization and generation of more than sufficient cash accruals as against term loan repayment obligations. Hindustan group's fund based line were utilized at an average of less than 80% over 12-month period ended March 2019. Company is expected to generate cash accruals in excess of Rs. 30 crores annually over the medium term as against 9-10 term loan repayment obligations.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL believes that the Hindustan group will continue to benefit from the established position of its educational institutes, and will maintain its healthy financial risk profile over the medium term. The outlook may be revised to 'Positive' if the group generates significantly large cash accruals, driven by an improvement in its scale of operations and profitability, while maintaining its capital structure. Conversely, the outlook may be revised to 'Negative' if the Hindustan group undertakes a sizeable debt-funded capital expenditure programme, or if regulatory changes adversely impact the operations of its educational institutes.

About the Group

HETC was registered as a society in 1968 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It has six institutes, which offer courses in several fields including engineering, aviation, arts, science, and management, in Chennai (Tamil Nadu). HITS, a deemed university, also offers courses in various streams, including engineering and management.

Key Financial Indicators
Particulars Unit 2018 2017
Revenue Rs crore 194.53 173.51
Profit after tax (PAT) Rs crore 21.24 7.28
PAT margin % 10.9 4.2
Adjusted debt/adjusted networth Times 0.96 1
Interest coverage Times 3.54 3.04

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 Cash Credit NA NA NA 35 CRISIL BBB+/Stable
NA Long Term Loan NA NA Jun-2022 25 CRISIL BBB+/Stable
NA Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility NA NA NA 7.5 CRISIL BBB+/Stable

Annexure - List of entities consolidated
Names of Entities Consolidated Extent of Consolidation Rationale for Consolidation
Hindustan Engineering Training Centre Full Same line of business, and have a common management team and fungible funds
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Full Same line of business, and have a common management team and fungible funds
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  67.50  CRISIL BBB+/Stable  11-06-19  CRISIL BBB+/Stable  23-07-18  CRISIL BBB+/Stable  17-04-17  CRISIL BBB+/Stable  08-03-16  CRISIL BBB+/Stable  CRISIL BBB+/Stable 
                    28-01-16  CRISIL BBB+/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 35 CRISIL BBB+/Stable Cash Credit 30 CRISIL BBB+/Stable
Long Term Loan 25 CRISIL BBB+/Stable Long Term Loan 25 CRISIL BBB+/Stable
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 7.5 CRISIL BBB+/Stable Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 12.5 CRISIL BBB+/Stable
Total 67.5 -- Total 67.5 --
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
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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