What is considered an investment grade company?
'Investment grade' refers to the group of credit ratings that imply a low default risk (from AAA to BBB-). Companies with a rating in this range will issue debt at a lower interest rate than others with a poorer credit rating, allowing them to obtain financing more cheaply.
Bonds with a rating of BBB- (on the Standard & Poor's and Fitch scale) or Baa3 (on Moody's) or better are considered "investment-grade." Bonds with lower ratings are considered "speculative" and often referred to as "high-yield" or "junk" bonds.
Investment Grade Ratings
For example – S&P uses capital letters in the order of best rating to the poorest. It follows the pattern of AAA, AA, A, BBB, BB, and B up to D. Bonds having high credit quality (AAA and AA) and medium credit quality (A and BBB) are known as investment grades.
An investment grade is a rating that signifies a municipal or corporate bond presents a relatively low risk of default. Bond rating firms like Standard & Poor's (S&P), Moody's, and Fitch use different designations, consisting of the upper- and lower-case letters "A" and "B," to identify a bond's credit quality rating.
Investment Grade: AAA, AA, A, BBB (from best quality to good quality but somewhat vulnerable to changing economic conditions). Non-Investment Grade (also referred to as Junk): BB, B, CCC, CC, C (speculative; from the least degree of speculation to the highest degree); D (in payment default).
The Bottom Line
Higher rated companies are considered investment grade, suggesting strong underlying fundamentals and a good capacity to pay a bond's principal and interest. Issues that are investment grade are rated as "BBB" or "Baa" or higher by ratings agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Moody's.
Higher quality bond issuers (AAA to BBB-) are considered investment-grade or good quality. Issuers with a rating of BB+ to below are seen as riskier, and they are typically referred to as non-investment grade, speculative grade or high yield.
In S&P Global Ratings long-term rating scale, issuers and debt issues that receive a rating of 'BBB-' or above are generally considered by regulators and market participants to be “investment-grade,” while those that receive a rating lower than 'BBB-' are generally considered to be “speculative-grade.”
Fitch's credit rating scale for issuers and issues is expressed using the categories 'AAA' to 'BBB' (investment grade) and 'BB' to 'D' (speculative grade) with an additional +/- for AA through CCC levels indicating relative differences of probability of default or recovery for issues.
'BBB' National Ratings denote a moderate level of default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union. 'BB' National Ratings denote an elevated default risk relative to other issuers or obligations in the same country or monetary union.
What are the 4 types of investment companies?
Fund sponsors in the United States offer four main types of registered investment companies: mutual funds, closed‑end funds, exchange‑traded funds (ETFs), and unit investment trusts (UITs). The majority of investment companies are mutual funds, both in terms of number of funds and assets under management.
A company that issues and invests in securities. The three types of investment companies are mutual funds, closed-end funds, and unit investment trusts.
Although private credit is often associated with below investment grade offerings due to its role as a funding source for mid-sized companies, Voya estimates that 90% of private placements are investment grade.
Meaning of below investment grade in English
if shares or bonds are below investment grade, there is a risk that they may lose value or not be paid back: The market values of securities rated below investment grade tend to be more sensitive to changes in economic conditions than higher-rated securities.
B1/B+ are ratings below investment grade but still one of the highest ratings in the non-investment grade bracket. Moody's Corporation uses B1, while S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings use B+.
Sub-investment grade/high yield bonds are bonds with a credit rating below investment grade (Baa3 or BBB-), as judged by the bond ratings assigned by one of the major rating agencies: Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) and Standard & Poor's. The ratings are the opinion of the agency.
Investment-grade companies account for just 43% of the total number of U.S. corporate issuer credit ratings. These investment-grade issuers include many of the U.S.'s largest and most creditworthy companies, which have high capacities to meet their financial obligations.
Investment stocks are properties that are scored low in scarcity. There are in abundance and often if you miss out on one, there is another one with similar floor plans and land size right next to it. Investment grades, on the other hand, are properties that rank higher in the scarcity scale.
There is a dividing line: bonds with good credit ratings of at least 'BBB –' are classed as investment grade bonds, while those below 'BBB–' are treated as high yield bonds (also known as speculative or junk bonds).
It is widely accepted that bonds classified as investment grade tend to be less risky than those designated as high yield and usually deliver a lower return. High yield bonds typically offer higher returns, but with more risk, because the issuers are considered to have a greater chance of default.
What is the highest non investment grade rating?
The highest quality corporate bonds will have a rating of AAA. The lowest quality bonds are rated D, or already in default. Anything rated BBB or above is investment grade. Anything rated BB or below is non-investment grade.
Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default. Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal risk.
Companies with the very best ratings include Geico, State Farm, Mass Mutual and New York Life; they all have the highest possible rating of A++. We've compared the A.M. Best ratings for several top insurance companies below.
| Moody's credit ratings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Investment grade | ||
| Aaa | Rated as the highest quality and lowest credit risk. | Prime-1 Best ability to repay short-term debt |
| Aa1 | Rated as high quality and very low credit risk. | |
| Aa2 | ||
AAA and Aaa ratings are considered to be investment grade. Since they are perceived to have the lowest risk of default, these instruments tend to offer the investors the lowest yields among bonds with similar maturity dates (lower risk equals lower return).
