On Sept. 19, 2002, Standard&Poor's revised its outlook on Marysville, Ohio-based The Scotts Co. to positive from stable. At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its 'BB' corporate credit and senior secured debt ratings, as well as its 'B+' subordinated debt rating and preliminary 'BB'/B+ senior unsecured debt/subordinated debt ratings on the lawn and garden care products company. As of June 30, 2002, the company had about $835 million of debt outstanding. The outlook revision reflects the expectation that Scotts will further improve its financial profile. While Scotts is expected to improve leverage after a planned sale of 4.2 million shares (the proceeds of which would be used primarily for debt reduction), the company will be challenged
