UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Recent reports issued by Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings provided stable outlooks for Penn State.
In an analysis released on May 17 by Moody’s, Penn State maintained its Aa1 rating with a stable outlook. The credit firm recognized the University for “its excellent market and strategic position as one of the nation’s largest comprehensive public universities that benefits from broad student demand and a nationally-recognized research profile.”
In its May 16 report, S&P gave the University a AA long-term rating with a stable outlook. The S&P report stated “Penn State’s enterprise profile is very strong characterized by the university’s significant enrollment and sufficient demand indicators, breadth and depth of its programmatic offerings, large research base and fundraising capabilities. The extremely strong financial profile reflects Penn State’s healthy financial management policies, recurring positive operating performance partially due to the healthy finances of its medical school and its affiliated Penn State Health system, and good available resources.”
“We’re pleased to see these agencies recognizing Penn State’s efforts to manage its financial resources in a deliberate and responsible manner as we continue to grow and focus on our core missions of teaching, research and outreach,” said Joe Doncsecz, Penn State associate vice president for finance and corporate controller.
Both reports noted the Board of Trustees’ recent decision to establish separate credit and borrowing capacities for Penn State Health, as well as Penn State’s ongoing capital plan for repairing and upgrading its facilities across the state.
The Moody’s assessment said, “The university’s superior credit profile is further supported by excellent management and governance practices, allowing for robust operating margins, modest leverage and exceptional liquidity levels to be maintained.”