Question

A capital budgeting project is usually evaluated on its own merits. That is, capital budgeting decisions are treated separately from capital structure decisions. In reality, these decisions may be highly interwoven. This interweaving is most apt to result in:
A.firms rejecting positive NPV, all-equity projects because changing to a capital structure with debt will always create negative net present values.

B.firms foregoing project analysis and just making decisions at random.

C.corporate financial managers first checking with their investment bankers to determine the best type of capital to raise before valuing a project.

D.firms accepting some negative NPV all-equity projects because changing the capital structure adds enough positive leverage tax shield value to create a positive NPV.

E.firms never changing their capital structure because all capital budgeting decisions will be overridden by capital structure decisions.

Answer 1

Answer: D

Explanation: A capital budgeting project is usually evaluated on its own merits. That is, capital budgeting decisions are treated separately from capital structure decisions. In reality, these decisions may be highly interwoven. This interweaving is most apt to result in firms accepting some negative NPV all-equity projects because changing the capital structure adds enough positive leverage tax shield value to create a positive NPV.An optimal capital structure is the objectively best mix of debt, preferred stock, and common stock that maximizes a company’s market value while minimizing its cost of capital.

In theory, debt financing offers the lowest cost of capital due to its tax deductibility. However, too much debt increases the financial risk to shareholders and the return on equity that they require. Thus, companies have to find the optimal point at which the marginal benefit of debt equals the marginal cost. As it can be difficult to pinpoint the optimal structure, managers usually attempt to operate within a range of values. They also have to take into account the signals their financing decisions send to the market.

A company with good prospects will try to raise capital using debt rather than equity, to avoid dilution and sending any negative signals to the market. Announcements made about a company taking debt are typically seen as positive news, which is known as debt signaling. If a company raises too much capital during a given time period, the costs of debt, preferred stock, and common equity will begin to rise, and as this occurs, the marginal cost of capital will also rise.

To gauge how risky a company is, potential equity investors look at the debt/equity ratio. They also compare the amount of leverage other businesses in the same industry are using on the assumption that these companies are operating with an optimal capital structure—to see if the company is employing an unusual amount of debt within its capital structure.