Article: Fitch Affirms Plum Creek's Ratings at 'BBB-'; Outlook to Negative.

CHICAGO -- Fitch Ratings has affirmed Plum Creek Timber Company's (PCL) ratings as follows:

--Issuer Default rating at 'BBB-';

--Senior unsecured bond at 'BBB-';

--Bank revolver and term loans at 'BBB-'.

The ratings have been assigned a Negative Outlook as existing high leverage is not expected to improve, while business conditions are expected to weaken.

Increasing leverage, the product of stock repurchases and dividends, timberland acquisitions and a steady but not growing string of operating profits, has been increasing the leverage on PCL's timberlands. Net debt/EBITDA has been rising, to 4.6 times (x) at the close of the ...

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