OREANDA-NEWS. National Rating Agency has affirmed its national scale 'A' credit rating on Novopetrovskaya Grain Company LLC. The outlook for the rating is Positive. The company's credit rating is an extension of its parent AFG National Group's credit rating, which was first assigned by NRA on Apr. 22, 2013 and affirmed on Aug. 14, 2014.

The affirmation reflects the robust financial profile of AFG National Group, to which the rated entity is a subsidiary. The Group's financial ratios, including capital/ liquidity adequacy and profitability metrics, have several times reached high values and have been on an upward trajectory, according to the Group's consolidated financials.

The Group's total debt is viewed as manageable, while its debt-to-equity and debt-to-EBITDA ratios are declining. NRA also notes Novopetrovskaya's stand-alone financial profile, in particular its high capital and liquidity adequacy, healthy profitability metrics and moderate debt level. In NRA's opinion, AFG National Group has good growth prospects, considering the Group's improving production and sales metrics, favourable operating environment for agricultural producers, and the Group's sizable investments in capacity expansion and produce diversification, which are already paying back. All this has been factored in the Positive rating outlook.

The rating is constrained by the 'A' credit rating of AFG National LLC, the core operating company of the Group, which NRA has affirmed with a positive outlook.