GT Capital Holdings Inc., the investment arm of the family of the late Dr. George S. K. Ty, was able to retain the highest rating of PRS Aaa with a Stable outlook for its outstanding P4.0 billion fixed rate bonds. Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings) said obligations rated PRS Aaa are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. A Stable Outlook, on the other hand, indicates that the rating is likely to be maintained or to remain unchanged in the next 12 months. “The assigned issue rating considers GT Capital’s investment portfolio, which is comprised of companies with solid market position; strong ownership and management; and healthy balance sheet,” PhilRatings said. It noted that, “These core credit strengths have allowed the GT Capital Group to remain resilient through significant challenges during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and serve as a sound base for growth, in line with expectations of sustained, albeit tempered, expansion of the domestic economy.” Through its privately-held firm, Grand Titan Capital Holdings, the Ty family continues to have significant control over GT Capital, in terms of ownership and management. While GT Capital’s ownership structure is concentrated, PhilRatings notes that the Ty family has been a supportive and stabilizing influence on the GT Capital Group. The Ty family has an established track record of growing businesses, with in-depth knowledge of the domestic business environment. The Ty family is also backed by a highly-experienced management team, which includes non-family professionals. The combination of strong shareholders and well-experienced management has enabled the GT Capital Group to enter into strategic partnerships with globally-recognized companies. “GT Capital has managed to keep its healthy balance sheet, even amid the continuing pandemic. Leverage has been well-managed, with debt-to-equity (DE) ratio kept at 0.7 times as of end-2022. “Such indicates that GT Capital has enough space for additional debt moving forward, while maintaining the soundness of its capitalization structure. Current ratio was more than satisfactory at 1.9 times, as of December 31, 2022,” said PhilRatings.