v3.22.4
Long-Term Borrowings
3 Months Ended
Dec. 24, 2022
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Long Term Borrowings
10.
Long-Term Borrowings

Long-term borrowings consist of the following:

 

 

 

As of

 

 

 

December 24,

 

 

September 24,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2022

 

5.875% senior notes due March 1, 2027

 

 

350,000

 

 

 

350,000

 

5.0% senior notes due June 1, 2031

 

 

650,000

 

 

 

650,000

 

Revolving Credit Facility, due March 5, 2025

 

 

123,500

 

 

 

89,600

 

Subtotal

 

 

1,123,500

 

 

 

1,089,600

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less: unamortized debt issuance costs

 

 

(11,842

)

 

 

(12,271

)

 

 

$

1,111,658

 

 

$

1,077,329

 

Senior Notes

2027 Senior Notes. On February 14, 2017, the Partnership and its 100%-owned subsidiary, Suburban Energy Finance Corp., completed a public offering of $350,000 in aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior notes due March 1, 2027 (the “2027 Senior Notes”). The 2027 Senior Notes were issued at 100% of the principal amount and require semi-annual interest payments in March and September.

The net proceeds from the issuance of the 2027 Senior Notes, along with borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, were used to repurchase, satisfy and discharge all of the Partnership’s then-outstanding 7.375% senior notes due in 2021.

2031 Senior Notes. On May 24, 2021, the Partnership and its 100%-owned subsidiary, Suburban Energy Finance Corp., completed a private offering of $650,000 in aggregate principal amount of 5.0% senior notes due June 1, 2031 (the “2031 Senior Notes”) to “qualified institutional buyers,” as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and non-U.S. persons outside the United States under Regulation S under the Securities Act. The 2031 Senior Notes were issued at 100% of the principal amount and require semi-annual interest payments in June and December. The net proceeds from the issuance of the 2031 Senior Notes, along with borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, were used to repurchase, satisfy and discharge all of the Partnership’s then-outstanding 5.5% senior notes due in 2024 and 5.75% senior notes due in 2025.

The Partnership’s obligations under the 2027 Senior Notes and 2031 Senior Notes (collectively, the “Senior Notes”) are unsecured and rank senior in right of payment to any future subordinated indebtedness and equally in right of payment with any future senior indebtedness. The Senior Notes are structurally subordinated to, which means they rank effectively behind, any debt and other liabilities of the Operating Partnership. The Partnership is permitted to redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at redemption prices and times as specified in the indentures governing the Senior Notes. The Senior Notes each have a change of control provision that would require the Partnership to offer to repurchase the notes at 101% of the principal amount repurchased, if a change of control, as defined in the indentures governing the terms of the Senior Notes, occurs and is followed by a rating decline (a decrease in the rating of the notes by either Moody’s Investors Service or Standard and Poor’s Rating Group by one or more gradations) within 90 days of the consummation of the change of control.

Credit Agreement. The Operating Partnership has an amended and restated credit agreement dated March 5, 2020 (the “Credit Agreement”) that provides for a $500,000 revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”), of which $123,500 and $89,600 was outstanding as of December 24, 2022 and September 24, 2022, respectively. The Revolving Credit Facility matures on March 5, 2025. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility may be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures and acquisitions. The Operating Partnership has the right to prepay any borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, in whole or in part, without penalty at any time prior to maturity.

The Credit Agreement contains certain restrictive and affirmative covenants applicable to the Operating Partnership, its subsidiaries and the Partnership, as well as certain financial covenants, including (a) requiring the Partnership’s Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio, as defined in the Credit Agreement, to be not less than 2.5 to 1.0 as of the end of any fiscal quarter, (b) prohibiting the Total Consolidated Leverage Ratio, as defined in the Credit Agreement, of the Partnership from being greater than 5.75 to 1.0, and (c) prohibiting the Senior Secured Consolidated Leverage Ratio, as defined in the Credit Agreement, of the Operating Partnership from being greater than 3.25 to 1.0 as of the end of any fiscal quarter.

The Partnership and certain subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership act as guarantors with respect to the obligations of the Operating Partnership under the Credit Agreement pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth therein. The obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured by liens on substantially all of the personal property of the Partnership, the Operating Partnership and their subsidiaries, as well as mortgages on certain real property.

As of December 24, 2022, borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at prevailing interest rates based upon, at the Operating Partnership’s option, LIBOR plus the Applicable Rate, or the base rate, defined as the higher of the Federal Funds Rate plus ½ of 1%, the administrative agent bank’s prime rate, or LIBOR plus 1%, plus in each case the Applicable Rate. The Applicable Rate is dependent upon the Partnership’s Total Consolidated Leverage Ratio. As of December 24, 2022, the interest rate for borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility was approximately 6.50%. The interest rate and the Applicable Rate will be reset following the end of each calendar quarter. On December 28, 2022, the Operating Partnership amended the Credit Agreement to, among other things, replace the LIBOR component of the borrowing rate with a term rate based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). See Note 19, “Subsequent Events” for more information.

As of December 24, 2022, the Partnership had standby letters of credit issued under the Revolving Credit Facility of $50,862 which expire periodically through November 21, 2023.

The Credit Agreement and the Senior Notes both contain various restrictive and affirmative covenants applicable to the Operating Partnership, its subsidiaries and the Partnership, respectively, including (i) restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, and (ii) restrictions on certain liens, investments, guarantees, loans, advances, payments, mergers, consolidations, distributions, sales of assets and other transactions. Under the Credit Agreement and the indentures governing the Senior Notes, the Operating Partnership and the Partnership are generally permitted to make cash distributions equal to available cash, as defined, as of the end of the immediately preceding quarter, if no event of default exists or would exist upon making such distributions, and with respect to the indentures governing the Senior Notes, the Partnership’s Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio, as defined, is greater than 1.75 to 1. The

Partnership and the Operating Partnership were in compliance with all covenants and terms of the Senior Notes and the Credit Agreement as of December 24, 2022.

The aggregate amounts of long-term debt maturities subsequent to December 24, 2022 are as follows: fiscal 2023: $-0-; fiscal 2024: $-0-; fiscal 2025: $123,500; fiscal 2026: $-0-; fiscal 2027: $350,000; and thereafter: $650,000.