Monday, November 21, 2011

Bethel Finance: Midroog lowers rating of CEE due to Yuli Ofer's death

www.bethelfinance.com

A major question mark hovers over the debt of Central European Estates NV (CEE), which owns real estate and hotels in Central and Eastern Europe. The NIS 110 million balance of the company's bond is traded at "junk returns" of 192% and CEE finished the first half of 2011 with a loss of NIS 22.4 million following a loss of NIS 92 million in 2010.

After these heavy losses, the company has been left with a NIS 91 million deficit in equity. In lowering CEE's rating by four levels from Ba2 to B3, Midroog Ltd. cited the company's deep equity debt, losses, negative cash flow, and low liquidity, but the main reason given was the death in September of the company's former controlling shareholder Yuli Ofer. Following his death, the shares in CEE's parent company P.E.H. Premium are being held by trustees on behalf of his widow Ruth Ofer.

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