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The Cost of Capital (Chapter 15) : Ovu-Advance Managerial Finance D.B. Hamm, Rev. Jan 2006
The Cost of Capital (Chapter 15) : Ovu-Advance Managerial Finance D.B. Hamm, Rev. Jan 2006
The Cost of Capital (Chapter 15) : Ovu-Advance Managerial Finance D.B. Hamm, Rev. Jan 2006
OVU-ADVANCE
Managerial Finance
D.B. Hamm, rev. Jan 2006
Cost of Capital?
When we say a firm has a cost of capital of,
for example, 12%, we are saying:
The firm can only have a positive NPV on a
project if return exceeds 12%
The firm must earn 12% just to compensate
investors for the use of their capital in a project
The use of capital in a project must earn 12% or
more, not that it will necessarily cost 12% to
borrow funds for the project
Thus cost of capital depends primarily on the
USE of funds, not the SOURCE of funds
Weighted Average Cost of Capital
(overview)
A firms overall cost of capital must reflect the
required return on the firms assets as a
whole
If a firm uses both debt and equity financing,
the cost of capital must include the cost of
each, weighted to proportion of each (debt
and equity) in the firms capital structure
This is called the Weighted Average Cost of
Capital (WACC)
Cost of Equity
The Cost of Equity may be derived from the dividend
growth model as follows:
P = D / RE g
Where the price of a security equals its dividend (D)
divided by its return on equity (RE) less its rate of growth
(g). We can invert the variables to find RE as follows:
RE = D / P + g
But this model has drawbacks when considering that some
firms concentrate on growth and do not pay dividends at
all, or only irregularly. Growth rates may also be hard to
estimate. Also this model doesnt adjust for market risk.
Cost of Equity (2):
Therefore many financial managers prefer the security
market line/capital asset pricing model (SML or
CAPM) for estimating the cost of equity:
RE = Rf + E x (RM Rf)
or Return on Equity = Risk free rate + (risk factor x risk
premium)
Advantages of SML: Evaluates risk, applicable to
firms that dont pay dividends
Disadvantages of SML: Need to estimate both Beta
and risk premium (will usually base on past data, not
future projections.)
Cost of Debt
The cost of debt is generally easier to
calculate
Equals the current interest cost to borrow new
funds
Current interest rates are determined from the
going rate in the financial markets
The market adjusts fixed debt interest rates to the
going rate through setting debt prices at a
discount (current rate > than face rate) or premium
(current rate < than face rate)
Weighted Average Cost of Capital
(WACC)
WACC weights the cost of equity and the cost
of debt by the percentage of each used in a
firms capital structure
WACC=(E/ V) x RE + (D/ V) x RD x (1-TC)
(E/V)= Equity % of total value
(D/V)=Debt % of total value
(1-Tc)=After-tax % or reciprocal of corp tax rate Tc.
The after-tax rate must be considered because
interest on corporate debt is deductible
WACC Illustration
ABC Corp has 1.4 million shares common valued at $20
per share =$28 million. Debt has face value of $5 million
and trades at 93% of face ($4.65 million) in the market.
Total market value of both equity + debt thus =$32.65
million. Equity % = .8576 and Debt % = .1424
Risk free rate is 4%, risk premium=7% and ABCs =.74
Return on equity per SML : RE = 4% + (7% x .74)=9.18%
Tax rate is 40% Current yield on market debt is 11%
WACC = (E/V) x RE + (D/V) x RD x (1-Tc)
= .8576 x .0918 + (.1424 x .11 x .60)
= .088126 or 8.81%
Final notes on WACC
WACC should be based on market rates and
valuation, not on book values of debt or
equity. Book values may not reflect the
current marketplace
WACC will reflect what a firm needs to earn
on a new investment. But the new investment
should also reflect a risk level similar to the
firms Beta used to calculate the firms RE.
In the case of ABC Co., the relatively low WACC
of 8.81% reflects ABCs =.74. A riskier
investment should reflect a higher interest rate.
Cartoon
Pause for Class Case
Financial Leverage (Chapter 17)
OVU-ADVANCE
Managerial Finance
D.B. Hamm, Jan. 2006
Equity vs Debt Financing (1)