Question

he director of capital budgeting for See-Saw Inc., manufacturers of playground equipment, is considering a plan to expand production facilities in order to meet an increase in demand. He estimates that this expansion will produce a rate of return of 11%. The firm's target capital structure calls for a debt/equity ratio of 0.8. See-Saw currently has a bond issue outstanding that will mature in 25 years and has a 7% annual coupon rate. The bonds are currently selling for $804. The firm has maintained a constant growth rate of 6%. See-Saw's next expected dividend is $2 (D1), its current stock price is $40, and its tax rate is 40%. Should it undertake the expansion? (Assume that there is no preferred stock outstanding and that any new debt will have a 25-year maturity.)

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

The computation is shown below:

Debt = D ÷ (E + D)

= 0.8 ÷ (1 + 0.8)

= 0.4444

Now

Weight of equity = 1 - Debt

= 1 - 0.4444

= 0.5556

As per Dividend discount model

Price = Dividend in 1 year ÷ (cost of equity - growth rate)

40 = $2 ÷ (Cost of equity - 0.06)

Cost of equity = 11%

Cost of debt

K = N

Let us assume the par value be $1,000

Bond Price =∑ [(Annual Coupon) ÷ (1 + YTM)^k] + Par value ÷ (1 + YTM)^N

k=1

K =25

$804 =∑ [(7 × $1000 ÷ 100)/(1 + YTM ÷ 100)^k] + $1000 ÷ (1 + YTM ÷ 100)^25

k=1

YTM = 9

After tax cost of debt = cost of debt × (1 - tax rate)

= 9 × (1 - 0.21)

= 7.11

WACC = after tax cost of debt × W(D) + cost of equity ×W(E)

= 7.11 × 0.4444 + 11 × 0.5556

= 9.27%

As we can see that the WACC is lower than the return so it should be undertake the expansion