Standard & Poor's has assigned a B corporate credit rating to privately held, Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy Inc. and to the company's proposed $1-billion senior unsecured term loan.

The loan is expected to be exchanged into 144A senior unsecured notes within 412 days of closing, which will occur simultaneously with a $300-million private-equity financing. Proceeds will pay $850 million of debt and partially fund the company's 2007 capital budget.

"The ratings on SandRidge reflect its midsize reserve base, highly leveraged financial profile, high general and administrative expenses, geographic concentration in the Pinon Field in West Texas, and the E&P industry's highly cyclical and capital-intensive nature," says S&P credit analyst David Lundberg in New York.

"These weaknesses are only partially offset by the company's internal growth opportunities, competitive F&D costs, and experienced management team. Another ratings consideration is the financial flexibility of being able to pay interest expense and preferred-stock dividend payments in kind during the next several years."

SandRidge is largely owned by Tom Ward, a co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corp. In 2007 and 2008, S&P expects SandRidge to spend aggressively to ramp up production, especially in the West Texas Overthrust. "We expect debt levels to remain in the $1.1-billion area, but we expect deleveraging through reserve and production growth."

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