Different benefits accrue from use of rated instruments to different class of investors or the company. These are explained as under: A. Benefits to Investors 1.
Safety of investments. Credit rating gives an idea in advance to the investors about the degree of financial strength of the issuer company. Based on rating he decides about the investment. Highly rated issues gives an assurance to the investors of safety of Investments and minimizes his risk. 2. Recognition of risk and returns. Credit rating symbols indicate both the returns expected and the risk attached to a particular issue.
It becomes easier for the investor to nderstand the worth of the issuer company just by looking at the symbol because the issue is backed by the financial strength of the company.3. Freedom of investment decisions. Investors need not seek advise from the stock brokers, merchant bankers or the portfolio managers before making investments. Investors today are free and independent to take investment decisions themselves. They base their decisions on rating symbols attached to a particular security. Each rating symbol assigned to a particular investment suggests the creditworthiness of the investment and indicates the degree of risk involved in it. .
Wider choice of investments. As it is mandatory to rate debt obligations for every issuer company, at any particular time, wide range of credit rated instruments are available for making investment. Depending upon his own ability to bear risk, the investor can make choice of the securities in which investment is to be made. 5.
Dependable credibility of issuer. Absence of any link between the rater and rated firm ensures dependable credibility of issuer and attracts investors. As rating agency has no vested interest in issue to be rated, and has no business connections or links with the Board of Directors.In other words, it operates independent of the issuer company, the rating given by it is always accepted by the investors. 6. Easy understanding of investment proposals.
Investors require no analytical knowledge on their part about the issuer company. Depending upon rating symbols assigned by the rating agencies they can proceed with decisions to make investment in any particular rated security of a company. 7. Relief from botheration to know company. Credit agencies relieve investors from botheration of knowing the details of the company, its history, nature of business, financial position, liquidity and profitability position, composition f management staff and Board of Directors etc.
Credit rating by professional and specialised analysts reposes confidence in investors to rely upon the credit symbols for taking investment decisions. 8. Advantages of continuous monitoring. Credit rating agencies not only assign rating symbols but also continuously monitor them. The Rating agency downgrades or upgrades the rating symbols following the decline or improvement in the financial position respectively. B. Benefits of Rating to the Company A company who has got its credit instrument or security rated is benefited in the following ways.
1. Easy to raise resources.A company with highly rated instrument finds it easy to raise resources from the public. Even though investors in different sections of the society understand the degree of risk and uncertainty attached to a particular security but they still get attracted towards the highly rated instruments. 2. Reduced cost of borrowing.
Investors always like to make investments in such instrument, which ensure safety and easy liquidity rather than high rate of return. A company can reduce the cost of borrowings by quoting lesser interest on those fixed deposits or debentures or bonds, which are highly rated. 3.
Reduced cost of public issues. A company with highly rated instruments has to make least efforts in raising funds through public. It can reduce its expenditure on press and publicity. Rating facilitates best pricing and timing of issues. 4. Rating builds up image. Companies with highly rated instrument enjoy better goodwill and corporate image in the eyes of customers, shareholders, investors and creditors. Customers feel confident of the quality of goods manufactured, shareholders are sure of high returns, investors feel secured of their investments and creditors are assured of timely payments of interest and principal.
. Rating facilitates growth. Rating motivates the promoters to undertake expansion of their operations or diversify their production activities thus leading to the growth of the company in future. Moreover highly rated companies find it easy to raise funds from public through new issues or290 11. 671. 3 © Copy Right: Rai University MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES through credit from banks and FIs to finance their expansion activities. 6.
Recognition to unknown companies. Credit rating provides recognition to relatively unknown companies going for public issues through wide investor base.While entering into market, investors rely more on the rating grades than on ‘name recognition’. C. Benefits to Intermediaries Stock brokers have to make less efforts in persuading their clients to select an investment proposal of making investment in highly rated instruments. Thus rating enables brokers and other financial intermediaries to save time, energy costs and manpower in convincing their clients.
Disadvantages of Credit Rating Credit rating suffers from the following limitations 1. Non-disclosure of significant information. Firm being rated may not provide significant or material information, hich is likely to affect the investor’s decision as to investment, to the investigation team of the credit rating company. Thus any decisions taken in the absence of such significant information may put investors at a loss. 2. Static study.
Rating is a static study of present and past historic data of the company at one particular point of time. Number of factors including economic, political, environment, and government policies have direct bearing on the working of a company. Any changes after the assignment of rating symbols may defeat the very purpose of risk indicativeness of rating. 3.
Rating is no certificate of soundness.Rating grades by the rating agencies are only an opinion about the capability of the company to meets its interest obligations. Rating symbols do not pinpoint towards quality of products or management or staff etc. In other words rating does not give a certificate of the complete soundness of the company. Users should form an independent view of the rating symbol. 4. Rating may be biased. Personal bias of the investigating team might affect the quality of the rating.
The companies having lower grade rating do not advertise or use the rating while raising funds from the public. In such a case the nvestors cannot get the true information about the risk involved in the instrument. 5. Rating under unfavorable conditions.
Rating grades are not always representative of the true image of a company. A company might be given low grade because it was passing through unfavorable conditions when rated. Thus, misleading conclusions may be drawn by the investors which hampers the company’s interest. 6. Difference in rating grades.
Same instrument may be rated differently by the two rating agencies because of the personal judgment of the investigating staff on qualitative aspects. This may further confuse the investors.
