The only reason I can think of is if they think they might need to be looking at loan financing in the near future. If they have an initial rating from Moody's it might enhance their ability to acquire cash through debt financing

Maybe they are looking at either putting an existing property into production or entering a JV for another property that is very close to production ... That would also explain why they needed to improve their cash position now versus later.

Just a thought and maybe way "out there"