Clarity in Credit

A Credit Perspective on Middle Market Corporate Borrowers

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In the latest episode of our “Clarity in Credit” podcast series, Aarti Magan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Ratings and Jason Graffam, Senior Vice President, Sector Lead, Global Sovereign Ratings, discuss Middle Market Corporate Borrowers with Michael Dimler, Senior Vice President, Private Corporate Credit.

 

The health of private credit has become a hot button topic for investors. In this episode, our analysts examine this market through the lens of our credit rating surveillance on middle market corporate borrowers. They explore the challenges facing the sector and how they are shaping the risk appetite of private credit lenders. They also discuss how artificial intelligence (AI)-related disruption and broader technological changes are influencing the credit profiles and ratings of these borrowers.

 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • The middle market corporate borrowers that we currently rate have a median EBITDA of USD 50 million and an average credit rating of “B.”
  • Middle market private credit fundamentals have weakened, reflecting margin pressure, uneven revenue growth, and higher debt servicing costs.
  • Downgrades continue to outpace upgrades, driven by operating deterioration at the weaker end of the portfolio and limited upward credit rating migration overall.
  • Recent fund-level liquidity pressures and defaults have affected the risk appetites of private credit lenders and increased the competition for high-quality middle market corporate borrowers with strong credit fundamentals and clear sponsor support from top-tier private equity firms.
  • While middle market borrowers in the software sector are facing rising long-term AI disruption risk, the credit profiles in the sector remain supported by entrenched customer relationships and high switching costs.

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    Clarity in CreditBy Morningstar DBRS