DEBT

12 Months Ended

Jul. 28, 2012

Debt [Abstract]

Debt

9. Debt

The Company's outstanding indebtedness consists of the following:

	July 28,			July 30,
	2012			2011
	(Dollars in thousands)
7.125% senior subordinated notes due 2021	$	187,500		$	187,500
Capital leases		74			306
		187,574			187,806
Less: current portion		(74	)		(232	)
Long-term debt	$	187,500		$	187,574

   On January 21, 2011, Dycom Investments, Inc. ("Issuer") accepted tenders for $86.96 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 8.125% senior subordinated notes due 2015 (the "2015 Notes") pursuant to its previously announced tender offer to purchase, for cash, any and all of its $135.35 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 2015 Notes. Holders of the accepted 2015 Notes received total consideration of $1,043.13 per $1,000 principal amount of 2015 Notes tendered (which included a $20 consent payment per $1,000 principal amount of 2015 Notes tendered). The total cash payment to purchase the tendered 2015 Notes, including accrued and unpaid interest, was approximately $92.6 million. On February 21, 2011, the Issuer redeemed the remaining $48.39 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of 2015 Notes not tendered pursuant to the tender offer described above at a redemption price of 104.063% of the principal amount, in addition to accrued and unpaid interest. As a result, during fiscal 2011, the Company recognized a loss on debt extinguishment of approximately $6.0 million, comprised of tender premiums and legal and professional fees associated with the tender offer and redemption and $2.3 million for the write off of deferred debt issuance costs for the 2015 Notes redeemed.

Additionally, on January 21, 2011, the Issuer issued and sold $187.5 million aggregate principal amount of 7.125% senior subordinated notes due 2021 (the "2021 Notes"). The 2021 Notes are guaranteed by certain of the Company's subsidiaries. A portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the 2021 Notes was used to fund the Company's purchase of the 2015 Notes pursuant to the tender offer and redemption described above. 

The indenture governing the 2021 Notes contains covenants that limit, among other things, the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to incur additional debt and issue preferred stock, make certain restricted payments, consummate specified asset sales, enter into transactions with affiliates, incur liens, impose restrictions on the ability of the Company's subsidiaries to pay dividends or make payments to the Company and its restricted subsidiaries, merge or consolidate with another person, and dispose of all or substantially all of its assets. As of July 28, 2012, the principal amount outstanding under the 2021 Notes was $187.5 million.

On June 4, 2010, the Company entered into a five-year $225.0 million senior secured revolving credit agreement (the "Credit Agreement") with a syndicate of banks. The Credit Agreement has an expiration date of June 4, 2015 and provides for maximum borrowings of $225.0 million, including a sublimit of $100.0 million for the issuance of standby letters of credit. Subject to certain conditions, the Credit Agreement provides for the ability to enter into one or more incremental facilities, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $75.0 million, either by increasing the revolving commitments under the Credit Agreement and/or in the form of term loans. In connection with the issuance of the 2021 Notes, the Company entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to the Credit Agreement. The Amendment modified the Credit Agreement to permit the issuance of the 2021 Notes so long as the net cash proceeds of the 2021 Notes were to be used to refinance, prepay, repurchase, redeem, retire and/or defease the Company's 2015 Notes in their entirety within sixty days of issuance. Any remaining net cash proceeds could be used for general corporate purposes. The issuance of the portion of the 2021 Notes in excess of the $175.0 million reduced the amount of other indebtedness permitted by the Credit Agreement by $12.5 million.

In addition, the Amendment increased the amount that the Company is permitted to use to repurchase the Company's common stock by $30.0 million during the period beginning January 5, 2011 through the maturity date of the Credit Agreement, subject to certain conditions.

The Company's obligations under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by certain subsidiaries and secured by a pledge of (i) 100% of the equity of the Company's material domestic subsidiaries and (ii) 100% of the non-voting equity and 65% of the voting equity of first-tier material foreign subsidiaries, if any, in each case excluding certain unrestricted subsidiaries. The Credit Agreement replaced the Company's prior credit facility which was due to expire in September 2011.

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement (other than swingline loans as defined in the Credit Agreement) bear interest at a rate equal to either (a) the administrative agent's base rate, described in the Credit Agreement as the highest of (i) the sum of the federal funds rate and 0.50%; (ii) the administrative agent's prime rate; and (iii) the eurodollar rate (defined in the Credit Agreement as the British Bankers' Association LIBOR Rate, divided by the aggregate of 1.00% and one (1) less a reserve percentage (as defined in the Credit Agreement), or (b) the eurodollar rate, in addition to an applicable margin based on the Company's consolidated leverage ratio, in each case. Swingline loans bear interest at a rate equal to the administrative agent's base rate and a margin based on the Company's consolidated leverage ratio. Based on the Company's current consolidated leverage ratio, revolving borrowings would be eligible for a margin of 1.25% for borrowings based on the administrative agent's base rate and 2.25% for borrowings based on the eurodollar rate.

    The Company incurs fees under the Credit Agreement for the unutilized commitments at rates that range from 0.50% to 0.625% per annum, fees for outstanding standby letters of credit at rates that range from 2.00% to 2.75% per annum and fees for outstanding commercial letters of credit at rates that range from 1.00% to 1.375% per annum, in each case based on the Company's consolidated leverage ratio. As of July 28, 2012, fees for unutilized commitments and outstanding standby letters of credit were at rates per annum of 0.50% and 2.25%, respectively.

The Credit Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations with respect to indebtedness, liens, investments, distributions, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions of assets, sale-leaseback transactions, transactions with affiliates and capital expenditures. The Credit Agreement contains financial covenants that require the Company to (i) maintain a consolidated leverage ratio of not greater than 3.00 to 1.00, as measured on a trailing four-quarter basis at the end of each fiscal quarter and (ii) maintain a consolidated interest coverage ratio of not less than 2.75 to 1.00 for fiscal quarters ending July 31, 2010 through April 28, 2012 and not less than 3.00 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter ending July 28, 2012 and each fiscal quarter thereafter, as measured on a trailing four-quarter basis at the end of each fiscal quarter. As of July 28, 2012, the Company had no outstanding borrowings and $38.5 million of outstanding standby letters of credit issued under the Credit Agreement. The outstanding standby letters of credit are issued as part of the Company's insurance program. At July 28, 2012, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants and had additional borrowing availability of up to $186.5 million, as determined by the most restrictive covenants of the Credit Agreement.