Moody's downgraded GE's senior unsecured debt rating to A1 in April 2015 due to concerns about the industrial-focused businesses and lower resiliency of cash flows and earnings.

The prospect of additional debt is the latest sign that GE is consciously shifting toward a credit profile that is more fully levered and typical of other large industrial peers, Moody's analyst Russell Solomon said in a statement.

"This is compounded by the ballooning debt-like pension deficit GE is already facing, further elevating leverage."

The company had borrowings of $156.4 billion as of June 30.

The industrial conglomerate, long considered a bellwether for the U.S. economy, reported a better-than-expected profit last month, but weak demand for its new oil, gas and transportation equipment raised concerns about its full-year performance.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)