OREANDA-NEWS. National Rating Agency has assigned its national scale 'A+' credit rating to FORTE INVEST JSC (FI). The outlook for the rating is Stable. It is the first time that FI is rated by NRA. Its credit rating falls into the "Enterprises" section of NRA's rating list.

The rating reflects the company's strong technology and resource base and business expansion opportunities, stable customer base and high export-sales ratio, as well as its positive revenue and net operating cash flows, manageable debt level and comfortable debt maturity profile, and its strong beneficiaries with a capacity to provide extraordinary support.

The company's exposure to the pricing and currency risks, weighing on its operating efficiency and financial results are viewed as risks, which nevertheless are currently mitigated, in NRA's opinion, by FI's high export-sales ratio in the context of the ruble depreciation, its stable suppliers, which are also its strategic partners, and a favourable payment procedure, according to which customers pay a 100% advance payment to FI. The fact that one of the company's assets is a project at a development stage involving heavy capital expenditures is viewed as a risk constraining the rating.