Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Comcast Bonds

In order to finance the $39 billion acquisition of Sky Plc, Comcast sold $27 billion worth of unsecured bonds. This is the second largest bond offering of the year and the fourth largest all-time. The company sold 12 different bonds, ranging from a 2-year maturity to a 40-year maturity in the offer. Investors jumped at the bonds, putting in orders for $88 billion, which allowed Comcast to issue the 40-year maturity at a yield spread of 1.75 percent above Treasuries. The bond issue will increase Comcast's leverage from 2.2 times EBITDA to 3.6 times EBITDA. The bonds are rated A with a negative outlook, which means there may be a downgrade in the future.