You review the characteristics of a recent corporate bond issue and notice that the issuing firm's Debt to Equity (D/E) ratio is higher than the industry average, while its Return on Equity (ROE) is lower than the industry average. If bonds issued by other firms with industry average D/E and ROE ratios have a BBB rating, you can draw the following conclusion:

a. This bond is likely to have a higher rating (A or above).

b. This bond is likely to have a lower rating (BB or below).

c. This bond will also have a BBB rating.