NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) May 18, 2007--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services raised its ratings on Roper Industries Inc., including the corporate credit rating to 'BBB-' from 'BB+'. The Sarasota, Fla.-based industrial products manufacturer had about $1.06 billion of book debt at March 31, 2007. The outlook is stable. "The upgrade reflects the continued improvement in Roper's business profile and the expectation that the company will maintain investment-grade credit metrics," said Standard&Poor's credit analyst Dan Picciotto. Roper's operating segments have demonstrated robust revenue growth and margin expansion, supporting strong cash flow generation. Roper has a good amount of geographic diversity, as it generates more than a third of its sales in markets outside of the U.S. In addition,
