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DEBT
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2025
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
DEBT DEBT
The components of debt are as follows:
September 30,
 20252024
Credit Facilities:
Term loans$500.0 $625.0 
Senior Notes due 2031 – 4.000%
500.0 500.0 
Senior Notes due 2032 – 4.375%
400.0 400.0 
Senior Notes due 2029 – 4.500%
450.0 450.0 
Senior Notes due 2026 – 5.250%
250.0 250.0 
Finance lease obligations14.5 17.8 
Other5.2 — 
Total debt2,119.7 2,242.8 
Less current portions57.2 52.6 
Less unamortized debt issuance costs13.3 16.0 
Long-term debt$2,049.2 $2,174.2 
As of September 30, 2025, the Company’s aggregate scheduled maturities of debt by fiscal year, excluding finance lease obligations, are as follows:
2026$55.2 
2027700.0 
2028— 
2029— 
2030450.0 
Thereafter900.0 
$2,105.2 
Credit Facilities
On April 8, 2022, the Company entered into the Sixth A&R Credit Agreement, which provided the Company and certain of its subsidiaries with five-year senior secured loan facilities in the aggregate principal amount of $2,500.0, comprised of a revolving credit facility of $1,500.0 and a term loan in the original principal amount of $1,000.0.
At September 30, 2025, the Company had letters of credit outstanding in the aggregate principal amount of $83.1, and had $1,166.9 of borrowing availability under the Sixth A&R Credit Agreement. The weighted average interest rates on average borrowings under the credit facilities, excluding the impact of interest rate swaps, were 7.9%, 9.1% and 7.6% for fiscal 2025, fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively.
During fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2024, the Company used available cash on hand to make prepayments on the term loan of the Sixth A&R Credit Agreement in the amount of $75.0 and $250.0, respectively, which was applied to the outstanding principal amount.
The Sixth A&R Credit Agreement, as amended on June 8, 2022 and July 31, 2023, contained, among other obligations, an affirmative covenant regarding the Company’s leverage ratio determined as of the end of each of its fiscal quarters. The maximum permitted leverage ratio was 4.75 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The Company’s leverage ratio was 4.10 at September 30, 2025. The Sixth A&R Credit Agreement also contained an affirmative covenant regarding the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio determined as of the end of each of its fiscal quarters. The minimum required fixed charge coverage ratio was 1.00. The Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio was 1.42 for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025.
On November 21, 2025, the Company entered into the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement, providing the Company and certain of its subsidiaries with five-year senior secured loan facilities in the aggregate principal amount of $2,000.0, comprised of a revolving credit facility of $1,500.0 and a term loan in the original principal amount of $500.0. The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement also provides the Company with the right to seek additional committed credit under the agreement in an aggregate amount of up to $500.0 plus an unlimited additional amount, subject to certain specified financial and other conditions. The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement replaces the Sixth A&R Credit Agreement and will terminate on November 21, 2030. The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement will be available for issuance of letters of credit up to $100.0. The terms of the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement include customary representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants, financial covenants and events of default.
Borrowings under the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement bear interest at variable rates derived from the prevailing U.S. Prime Rate, Federal Reserve Bank of New York Rate, Secured Overnight Financing Rate, Euro Interbank Offered Rate, Canadian Prime Rate or Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average (all as defined in the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement), based on the Company’s election, plus a spread that depends on the Company’s quarterly-tested leverage ratio.
The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement contains, among other obligations, an affirmative covenant regarding the Company’s leverage ratio determined as of the end of each of its fiscal quarters, calculated as average total indebtedness, divided by the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA. The maximum permitted leverage ratio is 5.00 for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 and thereafter. The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement also contains an affirmative covenant regarding the Company’s interest coverage ratio determined as of the end of each of its fiscal quarters, calculated as Adjusted EBITDA divided by interest expense, as described in the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement. The minimum required interest coverage ratio is (i) 3.00 for each of the fiscal quarters within fiscal 2026, (ii) 3.25 for each of the fiscal quarters within fiscal 2027 and (iii) 3.50 for fiscal quarters thereafter.
The Seventh A&R Credit Agreement allows the Company to make unlimited restricted payments (as defined in the Seventh A&R Credit Agreement), including dividend payments on, and repurchases of, Common Shares, as long as the leverage ratio resulting from the making of such restricted payments is 4.00 or less. Otherwise, the Company is limited to restricted payments in an aggregate amount for each fiscal year not to exceed $225.0.
Senior Notes
On December 15, 2016, Scotts Miracle-Gro issued $250.0 aggregate principal amount of 5.250% Senior Notes due 2026. The 5.250% Senior Notes represent general unsecured senior obligations and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior debt. The 5.250% Senior Notes have interest payment dates of June 15 and December 15 of each year.
On October 22, 2019, Scotts Miracle-Gro issued $450.0 aggregate principal amount of 4.500% Senior Notes due 2029. The 4.500% Senior Notes represent general unsecured senior obligations and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior debt. The 4.500% Senior Notes have interest payment dates of April 15 and October 15 of each year.
On March 17, 2021, Scotts Miracle-Gro issued $500.0 aggregate principal amount of 4.000% Senior Notes due 2031. The 4.000% Senior Notes represent general unsecured senior obligations and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior debt. The 4.000% Senior Notes have interest payment dates of April 1 and October 1 of each year.
On August 13, 2021, Scotts Miracle-Gro issued $400.0 aggregate principal amount of 4.375% Senior Notes due 2032. The 4.375% Senior Notes represent general unsecured senior obligations and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future unsecured senior debt. The 4.375% Senior Notes have interest payment dates of February 1 and August 1 of each year.
Substantially all of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s directly and indirectly owned domestic subsidiaries serve as guarantors of the 5.250% Senior Notes, the 4.500% Senior Notes, the 4.000% Senior Notes and the 4.375% Senior Notes.
The Senior Notes contain an affirmative covenant regarding the Company’s interest coverage ratio determined as of the end of each of its fiscal quarters, calculated as Adjusted EBITDA divided by interest expense excluding costs related to refinancings. The minimum required interest coverage ratio is 2.00. The Company’s interest coverage ratio was 4.78 for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025.
Receivables Facility
On April 7, 2017, the Company entered into the Receivables Facility, under which the Company could sell a portfolio of available and eligible outstanding customer accounts receivable to the purchasers subject to agreeing to repurchase the receivables on a weekly basis. The eligible accounts receivable consisted of accounts receivable generated by sales to three specified customers. The eligible amount of customer accounts receivables which could be sold under the Receivables Facility was $400.0. The Receivables Facility expired on August 18, 2023. The sale of receivables under the Receivables Facility was accounted for as short-term debt and the Company continued to carry the receivables on its Consolidated Balance Sheets, primarily as a result of its requirement to repurchase receivables sold.
Interest Rate Swap Agreements
The Company enters into interest rate swap agreements with major financial institutions that effectively convert a portion of the Company’s variable-rate debt to a fixed rate. Interest payments made between the effective date and expiration date are hedged by the swap agreements. Swap agreements that were hedging interest payments as of September 30, 2025 and 2024 had a maximum total U.S. dollar equivalent notional amount of $450.0. During fiscal 2024, the Company terminated an interest rate swap agreement in exchange for a cash payment of $11.0. The notional amount, effective date, expiration date and rate of each of the swap agreements outstanding at September 30, 2025 are shown in the table below:
Notional
Amount ($)		 Effective
Date (a)		Expiration
Date		Fixed
Rate
150 6/7/20234/7/20273.37 %
50 6/7/20234/7/20273.34 %
100 (b)11/20/20233/22/20274.74 %
150 (b)9/20/20249/20/20294.25 %
100 4/8/20274/8/20303.40 %
(a)The effective date refers to the date on which interest payments are first hedged by the applicable swap agreement.
(b)Notional amount adjusts in accordance with a specified seasonal schedule. This represents the maximum notional amount at any point in time.
Weighted Average Interest Rate
The weighted average interest rates on the Company’s debt, including the impact of interest rate swaps, were 5.3%, 5.8% and 5.4% for fiscal 2025, fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively.