Question

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? Select one: a. The capital structure that minimizes a firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its stock price. b. The capital structure that minimizes the firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its earnings per share. c. If a firm finds that the cost of debt is less than the cost of equity, increasing its debt ratio must reduce its WACC. d. Other things held constant, if corporate tax rates declined, then the Modigliani-Miller tax-adjusted tradeoff theory would suggest that firms should increase their use of debt. e. A firm can use retained earnings without paying a flotation cost. Therefore, while the cost of retained earnings is not zero, its cost is generally lower than the after-tax cost of debt.

Answer 1

Answer:

b. The capital structure that minimizes the firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its earnings per share.

Explanation:

The optimal capital structure is estimated by calculating the mix of debt and equity that minimizes the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) while maximizing its market value. The lower the cost of capital, the greater the present value of the firm’s future cash flows, discounted by the WACC. Thus, the chief goal of any corporate finance department should be to find the optimal capital structure that will result in the lowest WACC and the maximum value of the company (shareholder wealth).