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Note 2 - Long-term Debt
9 Months Ended
Dec. 24, 2022
Notes to Financial Statements  
Long-Term Debt [Text Block]

NOTE 2 LONG-TERM DEBT

 

On July 7, 2021, we entered into the Second Amended and Restated Credit Facility Agreement (the “2021 Credit Agreement”) with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (“M&T”), that amended and restated in its entirety the Company’s Amended and Restated Credit Facility Agreement dated as of October 30, 2017, as amended by Amended and Restated Credit Facility Agreement Amendment 1 dated December 10, 2018 and Amended and Restated Credit Facility Agreement Amendment 2 (“Amendment Two”) dated May 18, 2020 (as amended, the “Prior Credit Agreement”).

 

The 2021 Credit Agreement increased the revolving credit commitment (the “Revolving Credit Commitment”) from $40.0 million to $80.0 million, with a letter of credit subfacility increased from $2.0 million to $10.0 million, and extended the term of the Revolving Credit Commitment to June 2026. The 2021 Credit Agreement amended the definition of Applicable Margin (formerly Applicable Rate under the Prior Credit Agreement), which is based upon the Company’s then current leverage ratio and is used to determine interest charges on outstanding and unused borrowings under the revolving credit facility; the amendments reduced the Applicable Margins payable at the two highest leverage ratio levels. The 2021 Credit Agreement also amended the definition of Permitted Acquisitions, that is, acquisitions which are permitted under, and may be financed with proceeds of, the revolving credit facility, including increasing the aggregate purchase price for acquisitions consummated in any fiscal year from $1.0 million to $65.0 million during fiscal year 2022 and $50.0 million during any subsequent fiscal year, and adding an aggregate purchase price of $40.0 million for acquisitions consummated at any time during the term of the 2021 Credit Agreement related to businesses with a principal place of business located in the United Kingdom or the European Union.

 

In addition, the 2021 Credit Agreement provides that, assuming no event of default, restricted payments up to $25.0 million (increased from $10.0 million in the Prior Credit Agreement) in the aggregate and $10.0 million (increased from $3.0 million in the Prior Credit Agreement) in any single fiscal year may be used by us to repurchase our shares and pay dividends. The 2021 Credit Agreement modified the leverage ratio and fixed charge coverage ratio covenants with which we are required to comply. The 2021 Credit Agreement also reduced the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) floor from 1.0% to 0.25% and included a mechanism for adoption of a different benchmark rate upon the discontinuation of LIBOR. The 2021 Credit Agreement also reduced the fixed interest rate on our term loan in the amount of $15.0 million (the “2018 Term Loan”) was reduced from 4.15% to 3.90%.

 

The 2021 Credit Agreement superseded in its entirety, the Prior Credit Agreement. Amendment Two to the Prior Credit Agreement had previously extended the term of the revolving credit facility to October 20, 2022 and increased the revolving credit commitment to $40.0 million.

 

Amendment Two had modified the definition of the applicable rate used to determine interest charges on outstanding and unused borrowings under the revolving credit facility and it amended the definition of permitted acquisitions to amend borrowings available under the revolving credit facility for acquisitions. In addition, Amendment Two had amended the definition of restricted payments to exclude amounts up to $2.5 million during each fiscal year used to pay certain employee tax obligations associated with share-based payment and stock option activity, and modified certain restrictions to the Company’s ability to repurchase its shares and pay dividends. Amendment Two also had modified the leverage ratio and fixed charge coverage ratio covenants with which the Company was required to comply and limited capital expenditures to $5.5 million for fiscal year 2021. Amendment Two also had established a LIBOR floor of 1.0% and included a mechanism for adoption of a different benchmark rate in the event LIBOR was discontinued.

 

As of December 24, 2022, $80.0 million was available under the revolving credit facility, of which $42.2 million was outstanding and included in long-term debt on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the first nine months of fiscal year 2023, $8.3 million was used for three business acquisitions.

 

As of December 24, 2022, $7.0 million was outstanding on the 2018 Term Loan, of which $2.2 million was included in current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the remainder included in long-term debt. The 2018 Term Loan requires total repayments (principal plus interest) of $0.2 million per month through December 2025.

 

Interest and Other Costs: Interest on outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility accrue, at Transcat’s election, at either the variable one-month LIBOR or a fixed rate for a designated period at the LIBOR corresponding to such period (subject to a 1% floor during the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 and a 0.25% floor for subsequent periods), in each case, plus a margin. Interest on outstanding borrowings under the 2018 Term Loan accrued at a fixed rate of 4.15% during the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 and accrued at a fixed rate of 3.90% during the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 and accrues at a fixed rate of 3.90% over the term of the loan for subsequent periods. Unused fees accrue based on the average daily amount of unused credit available on the revolving credit facility. Interest rate margins and unused fees are determined on a quarterly basis based upon the Company’s calculated leverage ratio. The Company’s interest rate for the revolving credit facility for the first nine months of fiscal year 2023 ranged from 1.6% to 6.0%.

 

Covenants: The 2021 Credit Agreement has certain covenants with which the Company must comply, including a fixed charge ratio covenant and a leverage ratio covenant. The Company was in compliance with all loan covenants and requirements during the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. Our leverage ratio, as defined in the 2021 Credit Agreement, was 1.66 at December 24, 2022, compared with 1.74 at March 26, 2022.

 

Pursuant to the Prior Credit Agreement, we were required to comply with a fixed charge ratio covenant and a leverage ratio covenant, which were modified by the 2021 Credit Agreement. The allowable leverage ratio under the Prior Credit Agreement for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 was a maximum multiple of 4.0 of total debt outstanding compared to EBITDA and non-cash stock-based compensation expense for the preceding four consecutive fiscal quarters. The Prior Credit Agreement also had provided that the trailing twelve-month pro forma EBITDA of an acquired business was included in the allowable leverage calculation. After the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, pursuant to the 2021 Credit Agreement, the allowable leverage ratio is a maximum multiple of 3.0.

 

Other Terms: The Company has pledged all of its U.S. tangible and intangible personal property, the equity interests of its U.S.-based subsidiaries, and a majority of the common stock of Transcat Canada Inc. as collateral security for the loans made under the revolving credit facility.