Alico
Inc. Announces Credit Restructure
Renegotiated
Terms Include Relaxed Covenants and Variable Interest
LaBelle,
FL, September 8, 2010 — Alico, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALCO), a land management company,
announced that it has entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Agreement”) with
RABO AGRIFINANCE, INC. for $100 million to refinance its term note and revolving
line of credit with Farm Credit of Southwest Florida (“Farm
Credit”). Proceeds from the Agreement were used to extinguish the
Company’s term note and revolving line of credit with Farm Credit.
Major
changes resulting from the Agreement were as follows:
|
|
|
Term
Note
|
|
|
RLOC
|
|
|
Provision
|
|
New
|
Old
|
|
New
|
Old
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
Variable
|
Fixed
|
|
Variable
|
Variable
|
|
Interest
rate
|
|
LIBOR
+ 2.50%
|
6.79%
|
|
LIBOR
+ 2.50%
|
LIBOR
+ 2.50%
|
|
Collateral
|
|
Citrus
groves
|
Farm
& ranch property
|
Farm
property
|
Farm
& ranch property
|
|
Loan
to value
|
|
50%
|
60%
|
|
50%
|
60%
|
|
Quarterly
principal payments
|
|
$ 500,000
|
$ 1,250,000
|
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Prepayment
penalty
|
|
None
|
Variable
|
|
None
|
None
|
|
Debt
service coverage measurement period
|
|
2
years
|
1
year
|
|
2
years
|
1
year
|
|
Maturity
date
|
|
October
2020
|
September
2018
|
|
October
2020
|
August
2012
|
Under the
Agreement, RABO AGRIFINANCE, INC. will provide the Company with a Term Note of
$40.0 million and a Revolving Line of Credit (“RLOC”) of $60.0
million. Among other requirements, the Agreement provides that Alico
must maintain a current ratio of not less than 2 to 1, a debt ratio of not
greater than 60%, minimum tangible net worth of $80 million and a debt service
coverage ratio of not less than 1.15 to 1. A breach of the debt
service coverage ratio will not be considered an event of default unless the
ratio is breached for two consecutive years.
The 10
year $40.0 million Term Note will bear interest at a floating rate of one month
LIBOR plus 250 basis points payable quarterly beginning October 1,
2010. Quarterly principal payments of $500 thousand will commence
beginning October 1, 2011. Thereafter, quarterly payments of $500
thousand principal plus accrued interest will be payable on the first day of
January, April, July and October until the note’s maturity on October 1, 2020,
when the remaining principal balance and accrued interest shall be due and
payable. The Term Note is collateralized by approximately 12,280
acres of property containing approximately 8,600 acres of producing citrus
groves with a third party appraised value of $81.6 million.
The
Agreement also provides for a 10 year $60.0 million RLOC which bears interest at
a floating rate equal to one month LIBOR plus 250 basis points on the
outstanding balance payable quarterly beginning October 1,
2010. Thereafter, quarterly interest will be payable on the first day
of January, April, July and October until the RLOC matures on October 1, 2020,
when the remaining principal balance and accrued interest shall be due and
payable. The RLOC is collateralized by approximately 44,000 acres of
farmland with a third party appraised value of $126.5 million currently utilized
by the Company’s sugarcane, leasing and cattle operations.
The
prepayment of the term loan with Farm Credit resulted in the Company incurring a
one-time charge of $3.1 million and the recognition of approximately $250
thousand of unamortized loan origination fees, which will be charged to interest
expense during the Company’s fourth quarter ending September 30,
2010. Loan origination fees incurred as a result of entry into the
Agreement, which include appraisal fees, document stamps, legal fees and lender
fees of approximately $900 thousand, will be capitalized and amortized over the
remaining term of the Agreement.
JD
Alexander, the Company’s President and CEO stated, “We are pleased to enter into
this Agreement with RABO AGRIFINANCE, INC. We have found Rabobank to
be very forthright and accommodating and look forward to a long
relationship. While we incurred substantial costs related to this
restructure, when the estimated cash flows from the previous financing and
revised financing are discounted over the term of the agreements, based on
current interest rate expectations, we see substantial incremental value in the
Rabobank Credit Agreement. Furthermore, the long term nature of the
RLOC and extended grace period related to the debt service coverage ratio
provides the Company needed flexibility in light of the volatile nature of
agricultural profits. We are committed to structuring the Company to
provide a stable stream of cash flows through diversification, but these efforts
are expected to take several years. The Credit Agreement does not
contain any prepayment penalties, which should allow the Company to manage its
debt obligations in the future to provide maximum benefit to the
shareholders. We recognize the efforts of the entire Alico management
team, led by Pat Murphy as CFO, in getting the Agreement closed.”
For
further information concerning the Agreement, please refer to the Company’s
filing on Form 8-K.
About
Alico, Inc.
Alico,
Inc., a land management company operating in Central and Southwest Florida, owns
approximately 135,500 acres of land located in Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and
Polk counties. Alico is involved in various agricultural operations and real
estate activities. Alico's mission is to grow its asset values through its
agricultural and real estate activities to produce superior long-term returns
for its shareholders.
For
Further Information Contact:
JD
Alexander
LaBelle,
Florida
(863)
675-2966
Statements
in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, such
as the statement that when the estimated cash flows from the previous financing
and revised financing are discounted over the term of the agreements, based on
current interest rate expectations, the Credit Agreement is extremely
competitive and the statement that the Company should be able to manage its debt
obligations in the future to the maximum benefit of the shareholders, involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could
cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the
historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are
also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from
time to time in the Company's reports and registration statements filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.