SEC Company Response from SUEZ (CIK 0001158533) — Oct 21, 2005
SUEZ (CIK 0001158533)
Date: Oct. 21, 2005 · CIK: 0001158533 · Accession: 0000950103-05-002195
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: September 30, 2005
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CORRESP
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[SUEZ Letterhead]
October 21, 2005
VIA EDGAR AND EXPRESS COURIER
Mr. George F. Ohsiek, Jr.
Branch Chief
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Re.:
SUEZ
Form
20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
Filed June 29,
2005
Form 6-K for the Month of September 2005
Filed September
8, 2005
File No. 1-15232
This letter is in response to the Staff’s comments regarding the above-referenced annual report on Form 20-F, set forth in your letter to me dated September 30, 2005. Set forth below are
the responses to the comments in your letter. The numbering of the comments below corresponds to the numbering in your letter.
Form 20-F for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects, page 84
A. Results of Operations, page 90
1.
We note your presentation of organic gross operating
income growth and organic revenue
growth, which you identify as non-GAAP measures. In arriving at these measures,
it appears you exclude items that are recurring nature. Please note that if you intend
to include in your future filings any non-GAAP performance measure that excludes
items of a recurring nature, you must justify the usefulness of each measure. Please
refer to Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K and Question 8 of our Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures, available on our website
at www.sec.gov, in crafting your revised disclosure. Further, revise your disclosures
throughout your filing each place where each non-GAAP measure is presented,
as follows:
•
Identify
the item as a non-GAAP measure of performance.
•
Provide cautionary
disclosure that the non-GAAP measure presented may not be comparable
to similarly titled measures used by other entities.
•
Disclose that the
non-GAAP measure should not be considered as an alternative
to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented
in accordance with GAAP as
an indicator of operating performance.
•
Disclose the specific
manner in which you use the non-GAAP measure to conduct or evaluate
your business.
•
Disclose the economic
substance behind your decision to use the measure.
•
Disclose the material
limitations associated with use of the measure as compared to the use
of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
•
Disclose the manner
in which you compensate for these limitations when using
the measure.
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•
Disclose the substantive
reasons why you believe the measure provides useful information
to investors.
Show us how the revised disclosure
will read in future filings. In responding to our comment,
you may also want to consider whether it would make more
sense to discuss the impact of items such as gas prices,
foreign exchange effects, acquisitions and dispositions on
your results of operations without eliminating or adjusting
these items in connection with a non-GAAP financial measure.
Our primary
objective of including the tabular presentation of revenues and
gross operating income “on a comparable basis” together
with the main factors which consistently impact the changes in
these amounts (e.g., foreign exchange, gas prices, and business
disposals and acquisitions) is to present information which assists
the reader understand these factors and their impact on our business.
While we recognize providing this information in this manner encompasses
the use of a non-GAAP measure; however, we believe that the use
of this tabular presentation is permissible under Item 10(e) of
Regulation S-K as the non-GAAP measures included in the table
are not presented as an alternative measure of our operating performance
nor are they presented in an effort to smooth our results or otherwise
mislead the reader. As noted in the last paragraph of your comment
above, we could have provided the same information in narrative
form when discussing these factors and their impact on our results;
however, we have considered the Staff’s Interpretive Release
relating to management’s discussion and analysis issued in
December 2003 and believe that the tabular presentation assists
readers understand our discussion and analysis.
However,
we acknowledge the Staff’s comments above and we will modify
our disclosures relating to these non-GAAP measures in our future
Annual Reports filed on Form 20-F to comply with Item 10 of Regulation
S-K. Specifically, the revised disclosure on page 90 paragraph
A. Results of Operations of our Form 20-F for the year ended December
31, 2004 would have been:
“The
Group uses organic "Gross Operating Income" ("GOI") growth
as our measure of segment profit which is a non-GAAP financial
measure and closely related to consolidated operating income
(see Note 22 to our Consolidated
Financial Statement for a reconciliation of GOI to consolidated
operating income). When comparing performance between 2004 and 2003,
and 2003 and 2002, the Group also discusses
non-GAAP organic revenue growth. Both of these non-GAAP financial
measures take account of the impact that foreign currency
changes, natural gas price changes, acquisitions and dispositions
have on the reported results. Management believes that discussing
organic growth in both revenues and GOI, taking into account
the items above, provides investors with information that
is comparable and assist them understand the impact of these
key factors. However, these non-GAAP measures may not be
comparable to similarly titled measures used by other entities
and should not be considered as an alternative to the most
directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
as an indicator of our operating performance. The use of
organic growth measures has limitations as the effects of
foreign currency changes, natural gas price changes and acquisitions
and dispositions (which are excluded from these non-GAAP
measures and discussed separately hereunder) can be significant
and do ultimately affect our operating results, cash flows
and financial position. Management uses these measures principally
to assess the operating results of the Company and its business
segments and to make decisions with respect to investments
and allocation of resources; we also use these measures when
communicating with investors regarding our results. However,
because these measures have limitations as outlined herein,
we limit the use of these measures for these purposes.”
Similar
disclosures will be made in our future filings for each non-GAAP
measures to the extent that they exclude items that are recurring
in nature.
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B. Liquidity and Capital Resources, page 110
Liquidity and Contractual Commitments, page 114
2.
In future filings, please revise your
table of contractual commitment to include the following:
(a)
Estimated
interest payments on your debt, and
(b)
Estimated
payments under interest rate swap agreements.
Because
the table is aimed at increasing transparency of cash
flow, we believe these payments
should be included in the table. If you choose not
to include these payments,
a footnote to the table should clearly identify the
excluded items and provide
any additional information that is material to an understanding
of your cash requirements.
See Section IV.A and footnote 46 to the Commission’s
MD&A Guidance
issued December 19, 2003, available at www.sec.gov.
We will modify
our liquidity and capital resources disclosures in our
Form 20-F for the year ending December 31, 2005 (“our
2005 Form 20-F”) to comply with the Staff’s
comments. This modification will encompass:
•
An additional
line, “Interest payments”, within our commitment
table which will quantify our
interest obligations. This information will be provided
for all periods presented within the
table. In addition, a footnote will be added to the
table to indicate that interest payments
associated with variable rate debt are computed based
on the rates in effect as of
December 31.
•
An additional
line, “Net obligations on interest rate swaps”,
within our commitment table, which
will quantify our obligations related to paying, rather
than receiving, cash on our interest
rate swaps. These amounts will be calculated as the
net amount equal to the difference
between interest to be paid and to be received under
the swaps. This information will be provided for all periods presented within
the table. In addition, a footnote
will be added to the table to indicate that interest
payments of the variable rate leg of the swaps are computed based on the rates in effect
as of December 31.
Item 15.
Controls and Procedures, page 192
3.
You disclose
that your chief executive and financial officers
concluded that your disclosure controls and procedures
were effective at a reasonable assurance level
for “gathering, analyzing and disclosing the
information the Company is required to disclose
in the reports it files under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, within the time periods specified
in the SEC’s rules and forms”. In future
filings, please also state, if true, whether the
same officers concluded the controls and procedures
were effective in “ensur[ing] that information
required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports
that it files or submits under the Act is accumulated
and communicated to the issuer’s management,
including its chief executive and chief financial
officers, or persons performing similar functions,
as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure”. See Exchange Act Rule
13a-15(e).
We will amend
our disclosures in our 2005 Form 20-F to comply
with the Staff’s comment herein.
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Note 26. Summary of Differences Between Accounting Principles Followed by the Group and US GAAP, page F-80
4.
On page F-12, you disclose that tangible
assets subject to legal revaluation are stated at their
revalued amount under French GAAP. As US GAAP does not
allow tangible assets to be revalued unless impaired,
it appears an adjustment may be necessary to reconcile
from French GAAP to US GAAP. Please tell us where this
adjustment is included in your reconciliation or tell
us why you believe an adjustment is not necessary.
In 1976, Lyonnaise des Eaux revalued
certain tangible assets as required by law. Since the revaluation
was made to the financial records of Lyonnaise des Eaux,
the accounting acquirer under French GAAP for purposes of
recording the Lyonnaise des Eaux and Compagnie de Suez business
combination which occurred in 1997, the revalued assets are
reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared
in accordance with French GAAP. Under US GAAP, Compagnie
de Suez was the accounting acquirer for purposes of recording
the business combination. Accordingly, all of the Lyonnaise
des Eaux assets have been recorded at fair value US GAAP,
including those that were revalued under French GAAP. Therefore,
amounts related to the legal revaluation are excluded for
US GAAP purposes.
5.
Based on your disclosures with respect
to your regulatory environment in Item 4, it appears
that at least a portion of your operations are currently
rate regulated and that, prior to July 2004, a significant
portion of your operations were rate regulated. Thus,
please tell us your consideration of the applicability
of SFAS 71 to your accounting under US GAAP, with reference
to the scope guidelines in paragraphs 5-8 of SFAS 71.
In response to the Staff’s comment,
Suez does not believe that SFAS No. 71 is applicable to any
separable portion of its business except the regulated activities
of United Water Resources. We have included below a summary
of the applicable laws and regulations and the conclusions
reached by business component.
Energy Segment in Belgium – Prior
to the Implementation of