Spring 2003 Name:

Corporate Finance : Final Exam – Spring 2003

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,

open notes exam.

1. You are attempting to assess the cost of capital for Andersen Enterprises, a firm that
manufactures window furnishings and also builds new houses; the window furnishings
business accounted for 40% of the total revenues of $ 1 billion in the most recent year.
The firm is publicly traded and has 15 million shares outstanding, trading at $ 40 a
share and the market value of debt outstanding is $ 400 million. The company is rated
BBB, and the typical default spread for BBB rated bonds is 1.8% over the riskless rate.
You have obtained the unlevered betas and average firm value/sales ratios for the two
businesses that Andersen operates in below by looking at comparable firms:
Business Unlevered beta Firm Value/Sales Ratio
House furnishing 1.30 1.6
Construction services 0.90 0.6
While Andersen has paid only 20% of its taxable income as taxes in the last three years,
the marginal tax rate is 40%. The riskless rate is 5% and the market risk premium is
4%.
a. Estimate the levered beta for Andersen. (2 points)
b. Estimate the cost of capital for Andersen. (1 point)
c. Now assume that Andersen is considering a plan to borrow $ 200 million and expand
its construction business. Assuming that this plan goes through, estimate the new
levered beta for Andersen. (3 points)

2. The New York Times is considering introducing a new monthly magazine. The
company anticipates that it will cost $ 20 million in initial costs to create the
infrastructure needed to produce the magazine, and that it can depreciate this cost
straight line over the next 10 years to a salvage value of $ 5 million. The Times expects
to price the magazine at $ 2 an issue on the newsstands and it expects advertising
revenues of $ 1.50 per issue sold; the printing and production costs are expected to be $
1 per issue. The magazine’s contents will be produced by the existing staff of the paper,
but the Times will have to increase it’s total annual payroll cost, which is currently $ 20
million, by 10%. The cost of capital for the New York Times is 9% and it can be used
for this investment as well. (The marginal tax rate is 40%.)

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Spring 2003 Name:

a. If the New York Times expects to sell 200,000 copies a month each month for
the next 10 years, estimate the annual after-tax cash flow from this investment.
(2 points)
b. Estimate the net present value of this investment, assuming that the project will
end after 10 years. ( 1 point)
c. How many papers will the Times have to sell each month to break even (in terms
of NPV) on this investment? ( 3 points)

3. Nivea Inc. is a cosmetics firm that is examining its financing policy for possible
changes. The firm has 10-year bonds outstanding with a face value of $ 30 million and
interest expenses of $1.5 million a year; the firm has operating lease commitments of $
5 million a year for the next 5 years. The firm is rated BB and the default spread for
BB rated bonds is 4%. There are 2 million shares trading at $10 a share and the current
levered beta for the firm is 2.80 (this was computed with the operating leases treated as
part of the debt of the firm). The riskfree rate is 5% and the market risk premium is 4%.
The corporate tax rate for the firm is 40%.
a. Estimate the market value of outstanding debt (including operating leases) at the
firm today. ( 2 points)
b. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. ( 1 point)
c. The firm believes it can lower its cost of capital to 8.25% if it moves to its
optimal debt to capital ratio of 50%. If it is correct in this belief, estimate the pre-
tax cost of debt for the firm at its optimal debt ratio. (2 points)

4. Livermore Technologies is a software firm that has never paid a dividend before but its
boards of directors is considering whether to initiate dividends and if so, how much to
pay. You have collected the following information on the firm:
- The most recent year’s income statements is as follows:
Revenues $ 500 million
- Cost of goods sold $ 350 million (includes depreciation of $ 40 million)
EBIT $ 150 million
- Interest expense $ 10 million
Taxable income $ 140 million
- Taxes $ 42 million
Net Income $ 98 million

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- The revenues, operating income and depreciation are expected to grow 10% a year
for the next 3 years, but the tax rate for the company will increase to 40% of taxable
income.
- The non-cash working capital is currently 20% of revenues and this ratio is expected
to not change over the next 3 years.
- The firm reported capital expenditures of $ 50 million last year, a level that will be
maintained for the next 3 years.
- The firm has an old bank loan of $ 100 million (which is the firm’s only debt) and
it is expected to pay off the entire loan at the end of year 2. The firm does not plan
any new borrowings for the next 3 years.
- The firm is planning one major acquisition next year and it expects the acquisition to
cost $ 50 million. There are no other acquisitions planned for the next 3 years.
- The current cash balance of the firm is $ 80 million.
a. Estimate the FCFE for the firm each year for the next 3 years. (5 points)
b. Now assume that the firm wants to initiate dividend payments. Assuming that it wants
to end up with a cash balance of $ 50 million at the end of the third year, what percent of
net income can the firm afford to pay out as dividends over the three-year period?
(2 points)
5. UL Corporation is a small Midwestern manufacturing company. In the most recent
financial year, the firm reported earnings before interest and taxes of $ 100 million and
it expects these earnings to grow 10% a year for the next 3 years and 3% thereafter; the
corporate tax rate is 40%. The cost of capital is expected to be 12% for the next 3 years
but it is expected to drop to 10% after year 3. The book value of capital at the beginning
of the most recent year was $ 400 million and UL Inc. expects to maintain its current
return on capital in perpetuity.
a. Estimate the free cashflows to the firm each year for the next 3 years. (3 points)
b. Estimate the value of the firm at the end of year 3. (2 points)
c. If the firm has a cash balance of $ 100 million and the market value of debt is $
150 million, estimate the value of equity per share today. (There are 10 million
shares outstanding) ( 2 points)

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Spring 2004 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,

open notes exam.

1. You are reviewing the beta calculation for Trumpeter Inc, a publicly traded company.
The beta of 1.20 was obtained from a 5-year regression of stock returns against a
market index and you believe that notwithstanding the unreliability of regression
betas that this is a good estimate of the beta of the company over the period. During
the entire five-year period, Trumpeter maintained a debt to equity ratio of 25% and
was in two businesses – chemicals and steel. In the last week, though, the company
has gone through a major restructuring, selling off its steel business and using some
of the cash to buy back stock. The tax rate for the firm is 40%.
a. Estimate the unlevered beta for the company before the restructuring based
upon the regression. (1 point)
b. Now assume that the steel business (which has been sold off) represented 30%
of the total value of the firm and that the unlevered beta for steel companies is
0.80. One third of the cash from the divestiture was used to pay down debt
and the other two thirds was used to pay a special dividend. Estimate the beta
for Trumpeter after the restructuring. (5 points)
2. You have been asked to review an investment analysis of a 10-year project with a big
upfront investment of $ 10 million and equal annual after-tax cashflows for the next
10 years. The analyst has estimated a net present value for the project of $ 1.5
million, using the cost of equity of the firm of 12% as the discount rate. You notice
three errors in the valuation:
a. The cashflows being discounted are after taxes but before debt payments
(interest and principal). The after-tax cost of debt for the firm is 4% and the
firm has a debt to capital ratio of 30%.
b. The analyst has depreciated the initial investment of $ 10 million straight line
over 10 years to a salvage value of zero. You agree with the straight line
depreciation but you believe that the asset should be depreciated down to an
expected salvage value at the end of the 10th year of $ 2 million.

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c. The project is expected to have revenues of $ 15 million each year for the next
10 years and the non-cash working capital is expected to be 10% of the
revenues over the entire period, with the investment in working capital being
made at the beginning of each year. This investment will be fully salvaged in
year 10.
The tax rate is 40%.
a. Given the estimates of net present value and assumption of no salvage, what was
the analyst’s estimate of annual after-tax cash flow on the project? (2 points)
b. What is the correct net present value for the project? (Make the necessary
corrections to the cashflows and discount rates for the three errors noted on the
last page) (4 points)

3. Salvatore Inc. is a motion picture production company. At the end of its most recent
financial year, the firm had $ 500 million in interest bearing debt on its books (with
interest payments of $ 35 million a year and an average maturity of 8 years). The firm
has a rating of B+ and a pre-tax cost of debt of 8%. There are 50 million shares
trading at $ 6 per share and the levered beta for the firm is 2.25. The tax rate is 40%,
the riskfree rate is 4% and the market risk premium is 4.82%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. ( 2 points)
b. Assume now that Salvatore Inc. is able to issue enough stock to retire half of
its outstanding debt (in market value terms). If the stock price does not change
after this transaction, estimate the pre-tax cost of debt after the transaction. (4
points)
4. You have been asked to compare the dividend policies of three firms in the same
business and have collected the following information on them for the most recent
year:
Halifax Donnelly Rutland
Net Income $ 100 m $ 80 m $ 50 m
Capital Expenditures $ 150 m $ 60 m $ 30 m
Depreciation $ 60 m $ 30 m $ 15 m
Increase in Non-cash Working Capital $ 10 m $ 10 m $5m

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Debt to Capital Ratio 0% 20% 20%

Dividends $0 $ 40 m $ 30 m
a. Assuming that these companies each started the most recent year with $ 10
million in cash balances, estimate the cash balances at the end of the year.
( 2 points)
b. If Halifax had maintained the same debt ratio as the other two companies, how
much could it have paid out in dividends in the most recent year without
drawing on its starting cash balance? (2 points)
c. Assume that Rutland expects its net income to double next year while net
capital expenditures will increase by 50% and non-cash working capital will
increase by $ 15 million. If the company wants to increase its cash balance by $
20 million next year and maintain its existing debt to capital ratio, how much can
it afford to pay in dividends next year (2 points)

5. You have been asked to value Supra Enterprises, a publicly traded firm and have
collected the following information on the firm:
After-tax Operating income in most recent year = $ 100 million
Net Income in most recent year = $ 82.5 million
Book Value of Debt at the start of the year = $ 250 million
Book Value of Equity at the start of the year = $ 750 million
Capital Expenditure in most recent year = $ 80 million
Depreciation in most recent year = $ 30 million
Increase in non-cash Working capital in most recent year = $ 10 million
a. If you assume that Supra will maintain the return on capital and reinvestment
rate that it had in the most recent year for the next 3 years, estimate the
expected free cashflow to the firm each year for the next 3 years.
( 2 points)

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b. After year 3, Supra expects the growth rate to decline to 3% and the return on
capital to be 9% in perpetuity. If the cost of capital after year 3 is 8%,
estimate the value at the end of the third year (terminal value). ( 2 points)
c. Supra is expected to have a cost of capital of 10% for the next 3 years. If
Supra has 100 million shares outstanding and $ 400 million in debt, estimate
the value of equity per share today. (2 points)

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Spring 2005 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,

open notes exam.

1. DayTop Inns is a publicly traded company, with 10 million shares trading at $ 70 a

share and $ 300 million in debt (market value as well as book value) outstanding. The
firm derives 60% of its value from hotels and the remaining 40% from transportation.
The unlevered beta is 0.8 for firms in the hotel business and 1.2 for firms in the
transportations business. DayTop is rated A and can borrow money at 5%. The riskfree
rate is 4.5% and the market risk premium is 4%; the corporate tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the cost of capital for DayTop Inns. ( 2 points)
b. DayTop Inns is considering acquiring SwissHotels, another hotel company (which
derives 100% of its revenues from hotels) for $ 400 million, three quarters of which it
plans to fund by a new debt issue (which will cause its rating to drop and its cost of debt
to rise to 5.5%) and a quarter by issuing new stock. Estimate the cost of capital after the
acquisition. ( 4 points)
2. Spirit Software Inc. is a computer software company that generated $ 12 million in
pre-tax operating income on $ 100 million in revenues last year; the firm is stable and
does not expect revenues or operating income to change over the next 10 years. Its
inventory management is in shambles and inventory as a percent of revenues amounted to
12% last year. Spirit is considering investing in a new inventory management system,
which will cost $ 15 million. The inventory management system is expected to have a 10-
year life, over which period it can be depreciated straight line down to a salvage value of
zero. The new inventory management system is expected to have two benefits:
- It will immediately reduce the inventory maintained of items that are least sold and
lower the inventory/sales ratio to 8% (and stay at that percentage level for the life of
the inventory management system)
- By providing salespeople with updated information on what is in stock, it is expected
to increase revenues to $ 115 million next year (and operating margins to remain
unchanged). The revenues and operating income from year 2 to year 10 will remain
unchanged at year 1 levels.

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- The reduction in inventory will also allow the company to sell off its existing storage
facility (which has a book value of $ 5 million) today for $ 10 million and buy a new
storage facility for $ 5 million. Both the old and the new storage facilities will be
depreciated straight line over the next 10 years to a salvage value of zero.
The firm has an income tax rate of 40%, a capital gains tax rate of 20% and a cost of
capital of 10%.
a. Estimate the cashflows at time 0 (today) from this investment. (2 points)
b. Estimate the NPV of investing in the new inventory management system.
(4 points)
3. PetSmart Inc.. is a publicly traded company involved in selling pet food and
accessories. The firm has 15 million shares outstanding, trading at $ 10 a share; it has $
50 million in 10-year bonds outstanding and interest expenses on the debt amounted to $
2 million. The firm currently is rated A with a cost of debt of 5% and has a levered beta
of 1.56. The riskfree rate is 4.5% and the market risk premium is 4%. The corporate
marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for PetSmart. (2 points)
b. PetSmart announces that it will be borrowing $ 50 million and buying back stock at
$10.75 a share. This will lower the rating to BB, with a pre-tax cost of debt of 7%.
Assuming that all of the existing debt gets refinanced at this new rate, estimate the value
per share after this transaction. (You can assume a growth rate of 3% in perpetuity.)

4. Girardo Mowers Inc. is a company that manufactures lawn mowers. It had net income
of $ 15 million on revenues of $ 50 million last year, after depreciation charges of $ 10
million. Capital expenditures last year amounted to $ 16 million and total non-cash
working capital was $ 10 million. The firm had a cash balance of $ 15 million and paid
50% of its earnings as dividends last year. There is no debt outstanding.
a. Assuming that revenues, capital expenditures and depreciation grow 10% a year and
that net income grows 12% a year for the next four years, and that the non-cash working
capital as a percent of revenues does not change over this period, estimate the cash
balance at the end of year 4, if the company maintains its current payout ratio and
borrows no money. (2 points)

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b. What proportion of earnings will Girardo Mowers have to pay out as dividends if the
firm wants to to preserve its existing cash balance of $ 15 million at the end of 4 years? (
2 points)
c. Assuming that Girardo Mowers does not want to issue new stock and wants to
maintain its existing payout ratio of 50% what debt ratio will the firm have to utilize over
the next four years, to have a cash balance of $ 30 million at the end of the fourth year. (2
points)

5. You are trying to value SafeMoney Inc., a commercial bank, using the dividend
discount model. SafeMoney Inc. is expected to pay $ 60 million in dividends on net
income of $ 100 million next year. It is in stable growth, expecting to grow 4% a year in
perpetuity. The cost of equity for banks is 8%.
a. Value the equity in SafeMoney Inc. ( 1 point)
b. If the expected growth rate is correct, estimate the return on equity that you are
assuming for SafeMoney Inc. in perpetuity. (2 points)
c. Assume now that you are told that SafeMoney can increase its return on equity to 12%
in perpetuity, by lending to riskier clients. If the expected growth rate remains
unchanged, what would the cost of equity have to be for the equity value to remain
unchanged (from your answer in (a)? (2 points)

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Spring 2007 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. Vaudeville Inc. is a small entertainment firm. It has 20 million shares outstanding,
trading at $ 10 a share and $ 50 million in outstanding debt. The firm’s only business is
making movies, but it does have $25 million as a cash balance. The firm has a regression
beta based upon two years of stock returns of 1.85. The unlevered beta, cleansed of and
corrected for cash holdings, for firms in the movie business is 1.20. The corporate tax rate
is 40%.
a. Estimate the bottom-up beta for Vaudeville. (3 points)
b. The firm is considering borrowing $100 million and using the proceeds, in conjunction
with the cash it has on hand, to enter the entertainment software business. The unlevered
beta for firms in this business is 2.0. Estimate the beta for the company after the
transaction. (3 points)

2. You are reviewing the net present value computation for a 5-year project, which
requires an initial investment in fixtures and equipment of $ 10 million. The analyst has
assumed straight-line depreciation down to a salvage value of zero, no working capital or
capital maintenance investments over time and constant revenues and earnings over the
five years, and arrived at a net present value of -$1.2 million (negative). The corporate
tax rate is 40%.
a. If the cost of capital used by the analyst is 10%, how much after-tax operating income
is she assuming that the project will generate each year for the next 5 years. (2 points)
b. Now assume that you find out that the project would be eligible for accelerated
depreciation, with depreciation of $ 4 million in year 1, $ 3 million in year 2, $1.5 million
in year 3, $ 1 million in year 4 and $0.5 million in year 5. If the tax rate for the firm is
40%, estimate the effect on the net present value of moving to this schedule (from the
straight line depreciation) (2 points)
c. Assume that the firm that is considering this project earned $ 40 million in pre-tax
operating income last year; it had a book value of capital of $ 400 million and a market
value of $ 1 billion. Assuming that the cost of capital of 10% applies to the entire firm,
estimate the economic value added by this firm last year. (2 points)

3. Novacell Inc. is a manufacturer of solar panels that is considering moving from its
existing policy of not borrowing money. The firm has 4 million shares outstanding,
trading at $ 25 a share, no cash holdings and a beta of 1.20. The riskfree rate is 5%, the
equity risk premium is 4% and the corporate tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. ( 1 point)
b. Assume that the firm can borrow $ 25 million at a pre-tax rate of 7% and buy back
shares.. Assuming that the firm is growing 3% a year in perpetuity and that investors are
rational, estimate the change in value per share after the buyback. (2 points)
c. Assume that instead of buying back shares, the firm had borrowed $25 million and
invested the money in expanding its existing business. If the expansion has a net present
value of $ 5 million, estimate the change in value per share after the transaction. (3
points)

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4. You have been asked to assess the dividend policy of Doralee Inc, a service company
that has been in existence only 3 years. The firm has provided you with its last three years
of financial data:
Year 3 years ago 2 years ago Most recent eyar
Net Income $ 100 million $ 120 million $ 150 million
Capital Expenditures $ 80 million $ 110 million $ 125 million
Depreciation $ 50 million $ 60 million $ 70 million
Non-cash Working Capital -$10 million $ 10 million $ 20 million
Total Debt $0 $ 40 million $ 30 million
(Note: You have been given total non-cash working capital each year, not the change)
You are also told that the firm had $ 20 million in cash, no non-cash working capital and
no debt when it started operations three years ago.
a. If the current cash balance is $ 50 million, the firm bought back no stock and the firm
maintained a constant dividend payout ratio over the 3 years, estimate the dividend
payout ratio. (3 points)
b. Now assume that the firm expects net income, net capital expenditures and non-cash
working capital to grow next year by 20%, while maintaining its dollar debt level and
cash balance at last year’s levels, estimate how much cash the firm will have available to
return to stockholders next year. (3 points)
5. You are trying to value XGames Inc,, a company that manufactures games for the
XBos and Playstation. You have been provided the following information:
- The firm generated $ 20 million in after-tax operating income in the most recent year
and the corporate tax rate is 40%.
- The capital expenditures incurred in developing new games was $ 15 million in the
most recent year and depreciation was$ 5 million.
- The non-cash working capital increased by $ 5 million during the course of the year
a. Assuming that the after-tax operating income, capital expenditures, depreciation and
non-cash working capital all are expected to grow 15% a year for the next 3 years,
estimate the free cash flows to the firm each year for the three years. (2 points)
b. After year 3, you expect the growth rate to drop to 4% but you anticipate that the return
on capital will stay stable at the same level that the firm maintained during the high
growth period. If the cost of capital in stable growth is anticipated to be 10%, estimate the
terminal value of the firm. ( 2 points)
c. If the firm has $ 80 million in debt, $ 25 million as a cash balance and 10 million
shares outstanding, estimate the value per share today. (You can assume that the cost of
capital is 12% for the first 3 years) ( 2 points)

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Spring 2008 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. You have been asked to assess the cost of equity for Transverse International, a
publicly traded firm that operates in the entertainment and travel businesses. You
have collected the following information on the value generated by Transverse in
each of the businesses and relevant sector information:
Business Estimated Value Averages for the Sector
Regression beta Unlevered Beta
Entertainment $ 1.5 billion 1.50 1.20
Travel $ 1 billion 2.00 0.80
Transverse has a book value for equity of $ 500 million and a book value of debt of $
500 million as well; the latter is also the market value for debt. The effective tax rate
is 30% and the marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the unlevered beta for Transverse International. (1 point)
b. Estimate the levered beta for Transverse International. (2 points)
c. Assume that Transverse plans to borrow $ 1 billion to use for two purposes: $ 500
million will be used to buy back stock and $ 500 million to expand the travel
business. Estimate the levered beta after the transaction. (3 points)

2. Mathias Steel is a publicly traded steel company with an ageing steel plant. It
currently generates $ 1 million in annual pre-tax operating income on revenues of $
50 million from the plant; the annual depreciation charge is $ 500,000. With no
additional capital investments, the plant can be expected to continue to generate the
same operating income and depreciation for the next 5 years and have no salvage
value at the end of that period. Mathias Steel is considering scrapping the existing
plant for today’s book value and upgrading it by investing $ 10 million today; the
amount can be depreciated straight line over the next 10 years. The upgrade will
increase the annual pre-tax operating income to $ 2.5 million and extend the life of
the plant to 10 years, with no salvage value at the end. The marginal tax rate is 40%
and the cost of capital is 10%.
a. Estimate the initial investment (year 0), net of salvage from the old plant,. (1 point)
b. Estimate the incremental annual after-tax cashflows for years 1-5. (2 points)
c. Considering all relevant cash flows, estimate the NPV of upgrading the plant today.
(3 points)

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3. Damocles Inc., a publicly traded firm, has 80 million shares trading at $ 10 a share
and $ 200 million in debt (market value and book value). The firm currently has a
beta of 1.20 and a pre-tax cost of debt of 5%. The riskfree rate is 4% and the market
risk premium is 4.5%. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. (1 point)
b. The firm has announced that it will be borrowing $ 200 million and buying back
shares. The rating for the firm will drop to BBB, causing the pre-tax cost of debt to
rise to 6%. Estimate the new cost of capital for the firm. ( 2 points)
c. Now assume that investors are rational and that the firm is growing 4% a year in
perpetuity. How many shares can Damocles expect to buy back with $ 200 million?
(2 points)
4. Cumina Stores is an all-equity-funded retailer looking for some guidance on
dividend policy. Over the last 3 years, the company has seen its revenues and net
income increase and has maintained a dividend payout ratio of 40% of net income:
Year 3 years ago 2 years ago Most recent year
Revenues $1,000 $1,200 $1,500
Net Income $ 100 $ 120 $ 150
Depreciation $ 50 $ 60 $ 75
Over the same three year period, Cumina Stores has seen its cash balance decline
from $ 60 million to $ 20 million.
a. Based on the information provided, estimate how much the firm reinvested in long-
term assets and working capital over the 3-year period. (2 points)
b. Assume now that revenues, net income and depreciation are expected to grow 10%
a year for the next two years. Working capital is expected to remain 25% of total
revenues over the period and capital expenditures will be 200% of depreciation each
year. If the firm wants to maintain its dividend payout ratio at 40% and increase its
cash balance back to $ 60 million, how much debt (as a percent of reinvestment) will
the firm have to take on for this to be feasible? (4 points)

5. You are reviewing the discounted cash flow valuation of Roland Inc., a publicly
traded automobile parts company. The analyst estimated the following numbers for
the next 3 years (the high growth period) for the company:
Year Current 1 2 3
EBIT(1-t) $80.00 $92.00 $105.80 $121.67
FCFF $20.00 $23.00 $26.45 $30.42
a. Assuming that the firm will maintain its existing return on capital for the next 3
years and that the analyst estimates of free cash flow and earnings are correct,
estimate the return on capital for the firm. (2 points)
b. At the end of year 3, the firm will be in stable growth, with a cost of capital of
10% and an expected growth rate of 4% forever. If the return on capital after year 3
will be 12%, estimate the value of the firm at the end of year 3. ( 2 points)
c. The firm currently has a cost of capital of 12% (higher than its stable period cost of
capital), a cash balance of $ 50 million and debt outstanding of $ 250 million. If there
are 100 million shares outstanding, estimate the value of equity per share today. ( 2
points)

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Final Spring 2009 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. You have been asked to assess the impact of a proposed acquisition on the beta of a
firm and have been provided the following information on the two firms involved in the
deal:
Trident Achilles
(Acquirer) (Target)
Number of shares outstanding 1500 1000
Share price $8.00 $6.00
Market & Book value of debt $3000 $4000
Book value of equity $8000 $8000
Levered Beta 1.2 1.5
Tax rate 40% 40%
Rating AAA BBB
Default spread 0.50% 2.50%

The riskfree rate is 4% and the equity risk premium is 6%.

a. Estimate the unlevered beta of the combined firm. (3 points)

b. Now assume that Trident plans to retire all of Achilles’ debt and that it will be able to
buy Achilles’s equity at the current market price. If Trident would like to have a levered
beta of 1.35 for the combined firm after the transaction, estimate how much new debt it
will need to raise to finish this acquisition. (2 points)
c. Finally, assume that the bond rating for the combined firm will drop to A+ after the
transaction, with a default spread of 1.5%, estimate the cost of capital for the combined
firm after the merger. (1 points)

2. You have been asked to examine the net present value computation for a 10-year
project done by another analyst. The project will require an initial investment of $ 600
million and will be depreciated straight line over 10 years to a salvage value of zero. The
project is expected to generate constant after-tax operating earnings every year for the
next 10 years. The analyst estimated a net present value of $ 20 million for the project.
To arrive at this value, he discounted the after-tax operating income (EBIT (1-t)) at the
cost of equity and ignored working capital investments in his NPV computation. (In
effect, the analyst discounted after-tax operating income at the cost of equity and
subtracted out the initial investment in fixed assets to arrive at the NPV)
You estimate that the project will require an initial investment in non-cash working
capital of $ 50 million, which can be fully salvaged back at the end of the 10th year.
The cost of equity is 12%, based upon the correct levered beta, but the firm has a debt
to capital ratio of 40% and an after-tax cost of debt of 4%. (The tax rate is 40%)
a. a. Estimate the “correct discount rate” that the analyst should have used to discount the
cash flows. (1 point)

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Final Spring 2009 Name:

b. Assuming that the analyst’s estimate of after-tax operating income is correct, and
taking into consideration his mistakes in computing the NPV, estimate the annual after-
tax operating income on this investment. (2 points)
c. Estimate the correct net present value on this investment, with all of the cash flows
considered and using the correct discount rate. [You will need part b to do part c. If you
have trouble with part b, use $ 100 million as your after-tax operating income and
specify that you did so] (2 points)
d. How would your answer to part c change if you were told that the initial investment
could be depreciated over five years instead of ten. (The project will still last 10 years)
[Hint: You do not have to do the whole analysis over. There is a short cut] ( 1 point)

3. You have been asked by Med Parts Inc, a medical device maker, for advice on whether
they are using the right mix of debt and equity to fund their operations. The firm has 120
million shares trading at $ 10 a share and $ 300 million in outstanding debt. The current
levered beta for the firm is 1.10 and the pre-tax cost of borrowing is 6%. The marginal
tax rate is 40%, the riskfree rate is 5% and the equity risk premium is 4%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. ( 1 point)
b. If the market is valuing the firm correctly today and the expected free cash flow to the
firm next year is $ 80 million, estimate the implied growth rate in this cash flow in
perpetuity (given the cost of capital that you estimated in part a). ( 2 points)
c. You estimate the optimal debt ratio for the firm to be 40% and believe that the cost of
capital will drop to 8%, if you move to the optimal by borrowing money and buying back
shares. If you buy back the shares at $10.25/share, estimate the increase in value per
share for the remaining shares. [You will need part b to do part c. If you have trouble with
part b, use 5% as your growth rate forever and specify that you did so] (2 points)
d. Med Parts is considering whether it should be reinvesting the funds from new debt
back into the business, rather than buying back stock. Under which of the following
circumstances does it make sense for Med Parts to make this switch? (1 point)
i. Never. Buying back stock will always increase the stock price more than taking
new investments.
ii. Only if the new investments generate returns that exceed the after-tax cost of
debt.
iii. Only if the new investments generate returns that exceed the cost of capital at
the existing debt ratio.
iv. Only if the new investments generate returns that exceed the cost of capital at
the new debt ratio.
v. Always, because the new investments will increase future growth.

4. You are trying to get a sense of how much Woods Inc, a sports supplies firm, should
pay in dividends looking forward. You do know the following facts about the firm:
The firm generated $ 25 million in net income on revenues of $ 100 million in the
most recent year and reported depreciation of $ 10 million for the same time period.
Capital expenditures in the most recent time period amounted to $ 15 million and
total non-cash working capital currently is $ 12 million.

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Final Spring 2009 Name:

The firm expects revenues, net income, depreciation and capital expenditures to grow
20% a year for the next 3 years and non-cash working capital to be maintained at its
current proportion of revenue.
The firm has a cash balance right now of $ 20 million. (You can assume that cash
does not earn interest income)
The firm has a debt to capital ratio of 25% currently.
a. If the firm would like to increase its cash balance to $ 30 million by the end of the third
year, estimate the payout ratio that the firm will have to maintain for the next 3 years,
assuming that the firm maintains its existing debt ratio.. (3 points)
b. Now assume that the firm is considering an alternative strategy. It will like to repay $
10 million in debt each year for the next 3 years. Estimate the payout ratio that the firm
will have to maintain, on average over the next 3 years, if it wants its cash balance to
remain unchanged at its current level of $ 20 million. (2 points)
c. Stock buybacks have increased in popularity over the last decade in the United States.
Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the phenomenon?
i. Pension funds, which are tax exempt, hold a larger proportion of equity than
they used to.
ii. Dividends are taxed at higher rates than capital gains.
iii. Firms are less certain about future earnings and cash flows.
iv. Buybacks reduce the number of shares outstanding
v. None of the above

5. Past Perfect Inc. is a small firm that sells antique furnishings. In the most recent year,
the firm generated $ 4 million in after-tax operating income on revenues of $ 40 million;
the firm reported book value of equity of $ 8 million and book value of debt of $ 4
million at the beginning of the year. During the year, the firm invested $ 2 million in a
new warehouse for furniture (its only cap ex) and reported depreciation of $ 1 million in
its income statement. The firm’s only working capital item is its inventory, which
increased by $ 200,000 during the course of the year. The cost of capital for the firm is
expected to be 12% for the next 3 years and 10% thereafter. You have been asked to
appraise the value of the company
a. Assuming that the firm maintains its existing return on capital and reinvestment rate
for the next 3 years, estimate the expected free cash flow to the firm each year for the
next 3 years. (2 points)
b. Estimate the value of the firm at the end of year 3, assuming that the return on capital
stays at the current level but the growth rate drops to 3%. (2 points)
c. Assuming that Past Perfect Inc has 5 million shares outstanding, estimate the value of
equity per share. (You can assume that the book value of debt = market value of debt, and
that the debt remained unchanged over the most recent year. You can also assume no
cash) (2 points)

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Final Spring 2010 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. You have been asked to evaluate the quality of investments at Gardena Inc., a
firm that operates in two businesses – cement and steel. You have been provided
the following information on the businesses:
Book Value Market Value Unlevered beta of business
Cement $500 $900 0.90
Steel $500 $600 1.20
Total $1,000 $1,500

The firm has 100 million shares, trading at $10 a share and faces a marginal tax
rate of 40%. The company’s bonds have an A rating and a default spread of 2%.
The riskfree rate is 4% and the equity risk premium is 5%.
a. Estimate the cost of capital for the company. (2 points)
b. Gardena generated $ 100 million in after-tax operating income in the most
recent year, with $75 million coming from the cement business and the rest from
steel. Assuming that the book values of assets did not change over the last year,
estimate the economic value added (EVA) of each business separately. (You can
assume that both businesses share the same debt ratio) (4 points)

2. Life Products Inc. is s a small pharmaceutical company that has developed a drug
that treats immune disorders. The drug has been approved for use and has 15
years left of its patent life. The company is considering two mutually exclusive
options:
a. Invest $750 million in capital, depreciable straight line over 15 years to a
salvage value of zero, and produce the drug itself. The drug is expected to
generate $ 90 million in after-tax operating income each year for the 15 years.
b. License the drug to Pfizer and receive a fixed licensing fee each year from
Pfizer. There will be no initial investment and the only risk that Life Products
faces is that Pfizer may default.
You are provided with the costs of debt, equity and capital for both Life Products
and Pfizer in the table below:
Pre-tax cost of debt After-tax cost of debt Cost of equity Cost of capital
Life Products 8.00% 4.80% 14.00% 12.50%
Pfizer 5.00% 3.00% 9.00% 7.50%

a. Assuming that Life Products invests $750 million in capital and produces the
drug itself, what NPV would you estimate for the investment? (3 points)

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Final Spring 2010 Name:

b. What annual licensing fee would Pfizer have to offer Life Products for the
licensing deal to create more value for Life Products than Health Products
producing the drug itself? (3 points)

3. CIQ Inc. is a company that provides information services to financial service

companies. The company currently has 150 million shares, trading at $ 10 a share,
and $ 500 million in debt (book and market). The firm currently has a beta
(levered) of 1.20 and a pre-tax cost of debt of 6%; the marginal tax rate is 40%;
the risk free rate is 4% and the equity risk premium is 5%. The firm is considering
borrowing $ 500 million and buying back stock; it believes that doing so will
lower its cost of capital to 8%. (You can assume no growth in the savings in
perpetuity)
a. Assuming that the firm can buy back stock at $10.25/share, estimate the
increase in value per share for the remaining shares. (3 points)
b. Now assume that you do not know what the price per share will be on the stock
buyback. How much would the price per share on the buyback have to be for the
value per share on the remaining shares to remain unchanged at $10/share?
(3 points)
4. You are reviewing the earnings and cash flows statements of Texeira Ltd, a sports
goods manufacturer that is all equity funded and have uncovered the following
information on the firm over the last 3 years.

Year -3 Year -2 Last year

Revenues $1,000 $1,200 $1,500
Net Income $100 $120 $150
Depreciation $25 $40 $50
Non-cash Working
capital $100 $90 $75
Texeira had a cash balance of $ 100 million two years ago (at the end of year -3) and has
seen that cash balance increase to $ 120 million today. (You can assume that year -1 has
just ended…)
a. Assuming that the firm bought back no equity over the last two years and paid out 40%
of its earnings as dividends, estimate how much the firm spent on capital expenditures
(cumulated) over the last two years (i.e., years -1 and -2). (2 points)

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Final Spring 2010 Name:

b. You are now looking at making a forecast for next year and believe that the following
assumptions hold:
i. Revenues, net income and depreciation are expected to grow 15% next year.
ii. Non-cash working capital as a percent of revenues will remain unchanged next year
iii. Capital expenditures are expected to be 50% higher than depreciation next year
iv. The company will finance 25% of its reinvestment needs (net cap ex and change in
working capital) with debt.
If the company wants to maintain its current payout ratio and reduce its cash balance
from $120 million to $ 100 million, how much stock can it buy back next year? (3
points)

5. You are trying to value Hypo Bank, a European bank that has gone through a
tumultuous adjustment to the crisis of 2008. The bank suspended dividends last year and
currently has a book value of equity of $ 400 million and generated net income of $ 100
million on loans of $ 5 billion in the most recent year. The bank expects both loans and
net income will grow at 10% a year for the next 5 years. The cost of equity is expected to
be 12% for the next 5 years and 10% thereafter.
a. Assuming that the bank would like to increase its regulatory capital ratio (defined as
book equity/ loans) to 9% in year 5 in equal annual increments from the current level
over the next 5 years, estimate the FCFE each year for the next 5 years. (3 points)
b. At the end of year 5, the bank expects to be in stable growth and grow at 4% a year in
perpetuity. It also expects to generate a return on equity of 12% in perpetuity. Estimate
the terminal value of equity (at the end of year 5) for the bank. (2 points)
c. If the bank has 50 million shares outstanding currently, estimate the value per share
today. (1 point)

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Final Spring 2011 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. Clarix Inc. is a publicly traded company that operates in two businesses – it
generates 60% of its value from entertainment and 40% from electronics. The
company has 100 million shares trading at $ 8/share, has $ 400 million (market
and book value) in interest bearing debt and lease commitments of $ 80 million
each year for the next 6 years. The current levered beta for the firm is 1.15 and the
current bond rating for the firm is BBB, which corresponds to a default spread of
1.5%. The ten-year US treasury bond rate is 3.5%, the equity risk premium is 5%
and the marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. (2 points)
b. Now assume that the firm plans to sell its electronics business at fair value and
use 75% the proceeds to pay a special dividend to equity investors and 25% of the
proceeds to retire interest bearing debt. If the unlevered beta of the electronics
business is 0.90 and this transaction will lower the rating to BB (with a default
spread of 3%), estimate the cost of capital after the transaction. (4 points)

2. Fatburger Inc. is a company that operates fast food restaurants and it is considering
producing packaged food for sale at grocery stores. The initial investment in production
facilities to start this venture will be $ 60 million, depreciable straight line over 10 years
to a salvage value of $10 million. The packaged food business is expected to generate
revenues of $ 100 million each year for the next 10 years and the EBITDA margin
(EBITDA/revenues) is expected be 15% on these revenues. The working capital is
expected to be 10% of revenues, with the investment occurring at the start of each period,
where needed. The cost of capital for Fatburger is 12% but the cost of capital for other
firms in the packaged food business is 9%. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the NPV of the investment. (3 points)
b. Now assume that you expect this business to continue in perpetuity, after year 10.
Estimate the NPV of the investment today. (2 points)
c. Now assume that the packaged food business will increase the after-tax cashflows at
the fast food restaurants by $ 5 million a year for the next 10 years. What value would
you attach to this synergy? (1 point)

3. Prolox Inc. is a pharmaceutical company with 100 million shares trading at $10/share
and debt outstanding of $ 250 million. The firm has a levered beta of 1.00 and a pre-tax
cost of debt of 4.5%. The riskfree rate is 3.5%, the marginal tax rate is 40% and the
equity risk premium is 5%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for the firm. ( 1 point)

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Final Spring 2011 Name:

b. Now assume that the firm plans to borrow $ 500 million and buy back stock. If
this will triple the default spread on the debt (both new and existing), estimate the
new cost of capital for the firm after the recapitalization. (2 points)
c. Now assume that the firm does buy back stock with the $ 500 million and pays
$ 11/share. Estimate the value per share for the remaining shareholders in the
company. (You can assume no growth in perpetuity) (2 points)
d. How would your answer to c have changed, if the firm had been able to keep
all of its existing debt at the existing interest rate of 4.5% even after the
recapitalization?
i. The value per share after the buyback will be higher than estimated in
part c
ii. The value per share after the buyback will be lower than estimated in
part c
iii. The value per share after the buyback will not change from the value
estimated in part c.

4. You have been asked to review the dividend policy of Calpower Inc., a small
all-equity funded energy company. In the most recent year, the company had
revenues of $ 60 million, net income of $ 10 million and paid out $ 2 million in
dividends. During the most recent year, the company also had $ 8 million in
capital expenditures and depreciation of $ 5 million. Over the course of the year,
its non-cash working capital decreased from $ 7 million at the start of the year to
$ 6 million at the end and the total debt outstanding increased by $ 1 million.

a. If Calpower Inc. started the most recent year with $ 3 million as a cash balance,
what was the cash balance at the end of the year. (2 points)
b. Calpower expects its revenues, net income and depreciation to increase by 50%
next year. During the next year, it also expects capital expenditures to be $ 10
million and to maintain its working capital at the same percent of revenues it had
at the end of the most recent year. If the firm plans to raise the same proportion of
its reinvestment needs1 from debt as it did in the most recent year, what payout
ratio can the firm have next year, if it wants to increase its cash balance by $ 2
million? (3 points)
c. Now assume that you are a stockholder in Calpower and are examining whether
to put pressure on the company to return even more cash to its stockholders.
Which of the following circumstances relating to the company would make you
more likely to pressure the company to return cash to stockholders?
(1 point)
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Reinvestment needs = Capital expenditures – Depreciation + Change in non-cash working capital

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Final Spring 2011 Name:

i. Positive Jensen’s alpha, negative EVA

ii. Positive Jensen’s alpha, positive EVA
iii. Negative Jensen’s alpha, negative EVA
iv. Negative Jensen’s alpha, positive EVA

5. Singular Steel is a small, steel company. In the most recent year, the firm reported $ 20
million in after-tax operating income on revenues of $ 200 million. The firm has 20
million shares trading at $10/share and a book value of equity of $ 50 million; it has $ 50
million in debt outstanding (book and market) and a cash balance of $ 20 million. The
firm’s current cost of capital is12%.
a. Assume that the firm can maintain its existing return on capital for the next 5 years and
expects after-tax operating income to grow 10% a year. Estimate the expected free cash
flows to the firm for the next 5 years. (2 points)
b. At the end of year 5, the firm is expected to be in stable growth and grow at 3% a year
in perpetuity. In stable growth, the cost of capital for the firm is expected to drop to 10%
and the return on capital will also decline to 15%. Estimate the value at the end of year 5
(the terminal value). ( 2 points)
c. Estimate the value per share today. ( 2 points)

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Final Spring 2012 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. Novellus Inc. is a publicly traded company that operates in three businesses with the
following characteristics:
Revenues (in millions) Estimated Enterprise Value (in millions) Unlevered Beta
Storage Device $600.00 $400.00 0.9
Electronics $500.00 $600.00 1.2
Social Media $400.00 $800.00 1.8

The firm has 100 million shares trading at $ 12/share, has no cash balance and raises
the rest of its funding from debt. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Estimate the current levered beta for the firm. (2 points)
b. Assume that Novellus is planning to sell its storage device business for the
estimated value and invest half the proceeds in its social media business and
use the other half to retire debt. Estimate the new beta for the firm.
(2 points)
c. How would you answer to (b) change, if you used the proceeds entirely to buy
back shares in the company? (2 points)

2. You own a retail business and generated $ 40 million in EBITDA on revenues of $

200 million in the most recent year. You are considering spending $ 20 million in a
new computerized inventory system; the investment is depreciable straight line over 5
years to a salvage value of zero. If you install the system, you expect to see two
primary benefits:
Your revenues which had been expected to be flat ($200 million each year)
for the next 5 years will grow 5% each year for the next 5 years with the new
system in place ($210 million next year, $ $220.5 million in year 2 etc…)
Your EBITDA margin (as a percent of revenues) will remain unchanged at
current levels for the next 5 years but you do expect your non-cash working
capital which is currently 10% of revenues to drop to 5% of revenues
immediately and remain at that percent level each year for the next 5 years.
At the end of year 5, you expect to scrap the new inventory system and get no salvage
value for the system. The working capital is expected to revert back to 10% of revenues
at the point in time. Your marginal tax rate is 40% and your cost of capital is 10%.
a. Estimate the NPV of the investment. (3 points)
b. If you can expense the computerized inventory system rather than depreciate
it, estimate the NPV of the investment. (1 point)
c. Now assume that you are offered the alternative of using a service to manage
your inventory. Assuming that the benefits that the service delivers are
equivalent to those stated in part (a), i.e., higher growth in revenues and lower
working capital requirements, how much would you be willing to pay as an
annual fee for this service for the next 5 years? (2 points)

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Final Spring 2012 Name:

3. You are looking at Lizma Steel, a mature steel company that generated $ 120 million
in operating income (EBIT) last year on revenues of $ 5 billion. The firm has 40
million shares trading at $ 20/share and $ 200 million (book & market) in debt. The
current beta (levered) is 1.15 and the pre-tax cost of debt is 4%. The marginal tax rate
is 40%, the riskfree rate is 3% and the equity risk premium is 6%.
a. Estimate the current cost of capital for Lizma Steel. (1 point)
b. Now assume that you are considering doing an LBO (leveraged buyout) of
Lizma Steel and are looking to move to a mix of 90% debt and 10%
equity. If the pre-tax cost of the debt in the LBO will be 7.5%, estimate the
cost of capital at a 90% debt ratio. (2 points)
c. How much would you need to borrow (in dollar terms) to get to a 90%
debt ratio of the new firm value? (If necessary, you can assume that any
savings you get from a change in cost of capital will be perpetual and have
no growth) (2 points)
d. How (if at all) would your answer to part (b) change if you were told that
Lizma Steel has only $ 60 million in operating income? (1 point)

4. You have been provided with forecasts of operating items for Zune Inc. for the next 5
years (in millions):
Most recent year (just ended) 1 2 3 4 5
Revenues $1,000 $1,100 $1,200 $1,300 $1,400 $1,500
EBITDA $250 $275 $300 $325 $350 $375
Depreciation $60 $66 $72 $78 $84 $90
Net Income $80 $88 $96 $104 $112 $120
Non-cash Working Capital $75 $70 $65 $60 $50 $40
Total Debt outstanding 150 145 140 135 130 125

a. The firm currently has a cash balance of $ 150 million and expects this cash
balance to drop to $50 million by the end of year 5. If the company plans to pay
out 60% of its earnings as dividends for the next 5 years, how much capital
expenditure does it have planned cumulatively for the five-year period? (3 years)
b. If the company would like to keep its cash balance unchanged over the next 5
years, i.e., it wants its cash balance to be $ 150 million at the end of year 5, and
pay off all of its debt over the 5 years, what dividend payout ratio should the firm
maintain, on average, over the next 5 years? (2 points)
c. Which of the following would you consider the most defensible reason for a
company that has never paid dividends before, to initiate dividends? (1 point)
i. The company wants to attract pension fund investors who are restricted
from buying stocks that don’t pay dividends
ii. The company had a windfall gain from a lawsuit that increases income and
cash flows this year.
iii. The company expects earnings growth and reinvestment needs to be much
higher in the future
iv. The company expects its earnings growth and reinvestment needs to
decrease in the future

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v. All the other companies in the sector pay dividends

5. You are trying to value Kappa Inc., a small, publicly traded entertainment company.
The firm generated $ 10 million in after-tax operating income in the most recent year
on revenues of $ 80 million; the invested capital (book value) at the start of the year
was $ 100 million. The firm is expected to maintain its existing return on capital in
perpetuity. Capital expenditures in the most recent year amounted to $ 12 million,
depreciation was $ 5 million and non-cash working capital increased from $ 6 million
to $ 8 million during the course of the year. The firm is expected to have a 12% cost
of capital for the next 5 years and 8% thereafter.
a. Assuming that Kappa maintains the reinvestment rate that it posted in its most
recent year for the next 5 years, estimate the expected free cash flows to the firm each
year for the next 5 years. (3 points)
b. At the end of year 5, Kappa Inc. is expected to be a stable growth firm, growing
3% a year in perpetuity. Estimate the terminal value (the value at the end of year 5).
(2 points)
c. Finally, assume that Kappa Inc. has a cash balance of $ 15 million, debt
outstanding (in book and market terms) of 40 million and 8 million shares
outstanding, estimate the value per share. (1 point)

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Final Spring 2013 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam. For partial credit, when discounting, please show the discount rate that
you are using (not just the PV).
1. Clarus Corp is a company that operates in two businesses, steel and technology, and
in two countries, the US and Brazil. The table below summarizes the revenues by
business and by country (in millions):
US Brazil Total
Steel $800.00 $400.00 $1,200.00
Technology $600.00 $300.00 $900.00
Total $1,400.00 $700.00
You have estimated unlevered betas of 0.90 for steel and 1.20 for technology and
equity risk premiums of 6% for the US and 9% for Brazil. The US Treasury bond rate
is 3% and the Brazilian $ denominated bond rate is 5%. Clarus Corp has 315 million
shares, trading at $10/share, no debt outstanding and no cash balance. The corporate
marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. If you assume that market value is 1.5 times revenues in both businesses, estimate
the US$ cost of capital for Clarus. (2 points)
b. Now assume that Clarus plans to borrow $1.2 billion at 5% (pre-tax) to pay a
special dividend of $450 million and to reinvest the rest ($750 million) in its
technology business in Brazil. Estimate the cost of capital for the company in US$
after the debt issue and expansion. (4 points)

2. Google is considering entering the retail business. The initial investment to get the
retail stores launched is expected to be $5 billion, depreciable straight line over a
lifetime of 10 years to a salvage value of zero. The tax rate for Google is 40% and the
company faces a cost of capital of 11%; the cost of capital for specialty retailers is
9%. (Please be explicit about the discount rate that you are using to compute your
answers in each part)
a. Assume that Google expects to stay in the retail business only ten years and that
the expected EBITDA margin (EBITDA as a percent of sales) at the stores will be
20%. If revenues are expected to be $4 billion each year for the next ten years,
what is the NPV of this investment? (2 points)

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Final Spring 2013 Name:

b. Assume that Google expects to see its advertising revenues change for the next 10
years, as a result of opening the stores. Assuming that the after-tax operating
margin in the advertising business is 20%, how much would annual advertising
revenues have to change for this project to have a zero net present value? (After-
tax operating margin = After tax operating income as % of sales) ( 2 points)
c. Finally, assume that Google has been given the option of expensing $ 2 billion of
the $5 billion initial investment immediately and depreciating the balance of $3
billion over a 5-year period to a salvage value of zero, instead of ten years.
Assuming that the project life stays at 10 years and all of the other inputs are
unchanged, how much will the NPV change if Google switches depreciation
methods? (2 points)

3. Pelitto Inc. has 100 million shares outstanding, trading at $50/share. The company
has no debt outstanding and no cash balance. Its stock has a beta of 0.90, the risk free
rate is 3% and the equity risk premium is 6%.
a. The company is in stable growth and is expected to generate free cash flows,
prior to debt payments but after taxes and reinvestment needs, of $ 250
million next year. Given the market value of the company, what is the implied
growth rate? (1 point)
b. Now assume that Pelitto plans to borrow $2 billion at a pre-tax cost of debt of
7% and return the cash to equity investors. If the marginal tax rate is 40%,
what effect will the borrowing have on firm value, assuming that your savings
grow at the implied growth rate from part a? (2 points)
c. Assume that cash return (in part b) took the form of a special dividend (the $2
billion is borrowed and paid out as a dividend). What will the stock price be
after the special dividend? (1 point)
d. Assume that Pelitto uses the $2 billion to buy back shares (instead of paying a
special dividend). What would the buyback price have to be for the remaining
shares to see trade at $51/share after the buyback? (2 points)

4. Nano Media is a young, growing social media company that has just reported net
income of $10 million for the most recent year, on revenues of $100 million. The
company reported capital expenditures (including acquisitions) of $40 million for the
most recent year, significantly higher than the depreciation of $12 million for the
year. Finally, non-cash working capital was $36 million at the end of the most recent
year. Looking forward, the company expects the following for each of these items for
the next 3 years:
Revenues will grow 40% a year, capital expenditures at 15% a year and
depreciation at 25% a year, each year for the next 3 years.
The table below lists the expectations that the company has for net profit
margins (net income as a percent of sales) and non-cash working capital as a
percent of sales for the next 3 years:
1 2 3
Net Margin 12% 14% 16%
Total non-cash WC as % of revenues 30% 25% 15%

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a. The company currently has a cash balance of $45 million. How much cash will
be left after year 3, if it pays no dividends and does not borrow money?
(3 points)
b. Assume that the company decides to institute a dividend payout ratio of 20%
and also to borrow $4 million every year for the next three years. How much
stock can the company buy back over the three years, if it wants to have a cash
balance of $10 million at the end of year 3? (3 points)

5. Loma Vista Inc. is a small, publicly traded company that manufactures beachwear
and casual apparel. The company generated $ 10 million in after-tax operating
income on revenues of $100 million in the most recent year. It reported book value
(and market value) of debt of $15 million, book value of equity of $45 million and a
cash balance of $10 million; the company’s return on capital is expected to remain
stable in perpetuity. The company has a cost of equity of 15% and a cost of capital of
12% today.
a. Loma Vista had capital expenditures of $7 million and depreciation of $ 5
million in the most recent year. Its working capital increased from $9 million
to $10 million during the year. Finally, while the company did not do an
acquisition last year, it does one acquisition every 5 years at a cost of
approximately $15 million. Assuming that it continues its existing
reinvestment policy, estimate the expected free cash flow to the firm each year
for the next 3 years. (3 points)
b. At the end of year 3, the company expects growth to drop to 3% a year in
perpetuity and its cost of equity will drop to 12% and its cost of capital to 10%
after year 3. Estimate the terminal value (end of year 3). (1.5 points)
c. Estimate the value of equity per share today, if there are 5 million shares
outstanding. (Please be explicit about the discount rate that you are using to
compute your value today.) (1.5 points)

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Final Spring 2014 Name:

Corporate Finance: Final Exam

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam. For partial credit, when discounting, please show the discount rate that
you are using (not just the PV).
1. Alliant Technology is a publicly traded company that sells both computer
hardware and services. It has no debt outstanding or cash. In the most recent year,
the company reported the following information about its two businesses:
Sector Averages
Revenues (in $ Enterprise Unlevered
Business millions) Value/Sales Beta
Computer hardware $1,000 0.80 1.25
Computer services $600 2.00 0.9

The company also provides the breakdown of revenues geographically:

Risk free rate In local Equity Risk Marginal Total Revenues (in $
Country currency Premium tax rate millions)
United
States 3.00% (US $) 5.00% 40% $800.00
China 4.00% (Yuan) 7.00% 25% $800.00
Both countries have the same mix of hardware & service businesses.
a. Estimate the cost of equity in US dollars for Alliant Technology (2 points)
b. Now assume that Alliant wants to sell just its hardware business in the United
States at fair value (based on the EV/Sales ratio for the sector) in the United
States, borrow an additional $400 million in the US and invest the total
amount in computer services in China. Estimate the cost of equity in US $ for
Alliant after the transaction. (3 points)

2. Hillsdale Media is a specialty kitchen cabinet maker that produces cabinets to

order. It is a mature business that earned EBITDA of $900,000 on revenues of $ 5
million in the most recent year and is expected to continue to generate these
figures in perpetuity. The company is considering carrying some of its most
popular models in inventory, with an eye on increasing sales and operating
profits. It has collected the following information:
To carry inventory, the company will have to invest $2.25 million in a
storage facility, which will be depreciated straight line over ten years
down to a salvage value of $250,000.
With the inventory, the company expects its annual revenues to increase to
$7.5 million and its overall EBITDA margin (EBITDA as % of sales) to
increase to 20%.
For the next decade, the inventory will be maintained at 10% of total
revenues, with the investment made at the start of each year. The
inventory will be sold for book value at the end of ten years.
The cost of capital for the company is 10% and it faces a 40% tax rate.

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a. Estimate the NPV of the project (carrying inventory) assuming at ten-year life
for the investment. (4 points)

b. Estimate the breakeven EBITDA margin for the company, for the investment to
have a zero NPV, if you now assume that the project lasts forever. (2 points)

3. Voltaire Steel is a highly levered company with 20 million shares, trading at

$10/share and $800 million in debt (in market and book value terms) outstanding.
The pre-tax cost of debt for the company is 10%, the marginal tax rate is 40% and
the levered beta for the company is 3.06. The risk free rate is 3% and the equity
risk premium is 5%.
a. Estimate the cost of capital for the company. (1 point)
b. A bondholder in the firm is willing to accept 20 million newly issued shares in
the company in exchange for $200 million in debt (which will be retired). This
transaction will raise the company’s bond rating to BBB and lower their pre-tax
cost of debt to 7.5%. Estimate the new cost of capital, if you go through with the
swap. (2 points)
c. Assuming that you go through with the swap of equity for debt (from part b),
estimate the value per share after the transaction. (You can assume that the firm is
in perpetual growth, growing 2% a year forever) ( 3 points)

4. You have been asked to assess the dividend policy of Gallows Inc., a funeral
home company that was started as a business on January 1, 2011. You have been
provided with the information from its operating history:
2011 2012 2013
Revenues $1,000 $1,100 $1,200
Net Income $100 $110 $120
Depreciation $40 $45 $50
Cap Ex $50 $60 $70
Non---cash Working capital
(End of year) $10 $30 $60
Total Debt (End of year) $10 $15 $75
Dividend payout ratio 0% 40% 50%
a. Assuming that the company started operations on January 1, 2011, with no cash
and no debt, how much cash did the company have at the end of each year from
2011 to 2013. (3 points)
b. Now assume that the company plans to double its non-cash working capital as a
percent of revenues and believes that doing so will allow it to grow revenues 20%
a year for the next three years, while maintaining the net margin and payout ratio
it had in the most recent year. If capital expenditures and depreciation are
expected to grow 10% a year and the company intends to repay its existing debt in
three equal annual installments, estimate the cash balance three years from now.
(You can assume that you are at the start of 2014) (3 points)

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5. Calero Inc. is a publicly traded firm, with 25 million shares trading at $16/share
(book value of equity is $250 million), $300 million in debt outstanding (market
and book value) and $50 million as a cash balance. The company generated $60
million in after-tax operating income last year and is expected to maintain its
current return on capital in perpetuity. The cost of equity for the firm is 12% and
the cost of capital is 10% in perpetuity.
a. Assuming that the company is expected to grow its operating income 9% a year for
the next three years and 3% a year thereafter in perpetuity, estimate the value of the
operating assets of the firm today. (4 points)
b. Given your valuation in part a, how under or over valued is the stock today. (2
points)

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Spring 2015 Name:

Final Exam: Corporate Finance

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. GRL Inc. is a publicly traded company that operates in the software and
entertainment business, deriving 60% of its value from software and 40% from
entertainment. You have collected the following information on comparable firms:
Comparable Companies
Levered Beta D/E ratio
Software 1.38 25%
Entertainment 1.17 50%

GRL has 80 million shares trading at $10/share and $200 million in 10-year corporate
bonds (with a coupon rate of 4%) outstanding, trading at par. The company also has
lease commitments of $50 million a year for the next 5 years and a marginal tax rate
of 40%.
a. Estimate the current debt to equity ratio (in market value terms) for GRL. (1 point)
b. Estimate the levered beta for GRL Inc. (2 points)
c. Now assume that GRL plans to sell a portion of its software business and expects
to receive $400 million (it’s fair value) from the divestiture. It plans to borrow an
additional $100 million, invest $300 million of the total proceeds (from the
divestiture and the new debt issue) to invest in a social media (online advertising)
business and use the rest to buy back stock. If the unlevered beta of social media
(online advertising) is 1.50, estimate the levered beta after this transaction. (3 points)
2. ESPN is planning a major expansion into Latin America and has enlisted you in
assessing whether it makes sense. You have been given the following information:
• The expansion will require investment in a new studio and broadcasting
facilities in Sao Paulo, which will cost $2 billion (to be spent immediately),
depreciable over 10 years to a salvage value of $500 million.
• Without the expansion, ESPN expects to generate $500 million in annual
revenues from Latin America each year for the next 10 years, and the
expansion will triple those annual revenues. ESPN expects to continue to
generate an EBITDA margin of 40% on the incremental revenues.
• ESPN will allocate $100 million in G&A costs to the Latin American
operations, but 75% of these costs are fixed.
• The project is expected to last ten years, but to keep the studio technologically
updated, ESPN will have to reinvest 20% of its depreciation back into the
project every year as maintenance capital expenditures.
• You can assume that ESPN is all-equity funded and that it faces an effective
tax rate of 40% no matter where it operates.
a. Estimate the expected incremental cash flows for the investment over its 10-
year life. (2 points)
b. The cost of equity that ESPN (correctly) used for its most recent investment
(which was entirely in the US) was 7.7%. (The US Treasury bond rate is 2%, the
US equity risk premium is 6% and the additional country risk premium for Latin
America is 3%). Estimate the NPV of the Latin American expansion.(2 points)
c. Now assume that the Latin American expansion will increase TV viewership in
the United States. Assuming that the EBITDA margin for US TV revenues is also
40%, estimate how much annual revenues would have to increase in the United
States for the Latin American expansion to be a viable investment. (If you got a

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positive NPV in part b, solve for how much annual revenues would have to
decrease.) (2 points)
3. Madeira Inc. is a publicly traded company that is considering a restructuring plan. The
company currently has 150 million shares trading at $12/share and total debt outstanding
of $200 million. The firm currently has a (levered) beta of 1.20, the risk free rate is 2%,
the equity risk premium is 6% and the marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. The firm is planning to double its dollar debt and use the proceeds from the
new debt to pay dividends & buy back stock. If it’s bond rating will drop to BBB
with a default spread of 2.5% over the risk free rate, estimate the cost of capital
after the recapitalization. (2 points)
b. You estimate that if the firm doubles its debt, its value as a business will
increase by 2%. Estimate the pre-tax cost of debt that currently faces (before
recapitalization), if the firm is mature with no growth expected in perpetuity. (2
points)
c. Now assume that the firm plans to use half of the proceeds to buy back stock at
$12.50/share and the other half to pay a special dividend to the remaining
shareholders. Estimate the value per share of the remaining shares after the
recapitalization. (2 points)
4. You have been asked to assess the dividend policy of Spring Tide Inc., a consumer
product company and have been given the last two years of data on the company.
2013 2014
Revenues $1,000 $1,100
EBITDA $500 $560
EBIT $400 $440
Net Income $150 $180
Total Working Capital (including cash) $100 $120
Cash (invested in T.Bills) $40 $80
Total Debt $90 $120
The company also had capital expenditures of $150 million in 2014 and made a cash
acquisition of $50 million in 2014.
a. If Spring Tide bought back $50 million of its own stock in 2014, estimate the dividend
payout ratio for Spring Tide in 2014. (Dividend payout = Dividends as a percent of net
income). (2 points)
b. Now assume that you are told that net income and revenues are expected to grow 20%
in 2015, while capital expenditures and depreciation will grow 10%. In addition, the
company plans to make no cash acquisitions in 2015, to maintain non-cash working
capital at the same percent of revenues as it did in 2014 and to pay out 25% of its net
income as dividends. Estimate how much the company can spend on stock buybacks in
2015, if it also wants to increase its cash balance by $20 million during the year and
retire half of its total debt. (3 points)
c. Assuming that you operate in a market where capital gains are taxed at 20%, and
dividends are taxed at 40% for all investors. However, investors are allowed to claim a
tax credit for taxes paid by company on the income used to pay dividends. If the average
effective corporate tax rate is 30%, which of the following would you expect to observe,
on average, happening to stock prices on the ex-dividend day?
i. Stock price will decrease by more than the dividend paid
ii. Stock price will decrease by less than the dividend paid
iii. Stock price will increase by more than the dividend paid
iv. Stock price will increase by less than the dividend paid
v. Stock price will not change

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5. Carbon Springs is a beverage company that reported the following numbers for the
most recent fiscal year:
Most recent year
Revenues $2,000.00
EBITDA $500.00
DA $100.00
EBIT $400.00
- Interest expenses $50.00
Taxable Income $350.00
Taxes $105.00
Net Income $245.00
During the year, the company reported capital expenditures (including acquisitions) of
$200 million and an increase in non-cash working capital of $40 million. You can
assume that the company will continue to generate its current return on invested capital in
perpetuity and that its effective tax rate is the marginal tax rate.
a. Assuming that operating income will grow at 8% a year for the next five years,
estimate the free cash flows to the firm for the next five years. (2
points
b. At the end of year 5, the company is expected to become a mature business,
growing at 2% a year in perpetuity with a cost of capital of 8% (mature company
levels). Estimate the value of the business at the end of year 5.
(2 points)
c. Assume that the company’s current cost of capital is 12% and is expected to
stay at that level for the next 5 years, estimate the value of equity per share today.
(The total debt outstanding is $1 billion, the company’s cash balance is $600
million and there are 150 million shares outstanding.)

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Spring 2016 Name:

Final Exam: Corporate Finance

Answer all questions and show necessary work. Please be brief. This is an open books,
open notes exam.
1. Thexos Inc. is a company that has operated in two businesses, housewares and food
processing, across the US and Mexico, for the last five years. You have a regression
of the returns of the stock against the market index (on top) and a breakdown of
revenues by country, below.
Regression: Returns = 0.20% + 0.944 Returns
Thexos Market Index

Regional Breakdown
Revenues Govt Govt Marginal tax Equity Risk
(in $ Bond rate Bond rate rate Premium (Total)
millions) (in US $) (in Pesos)
US $800 2.00% NA 40% 6.00%
Mexico $200 3.50% 6.00% 30% 8.00%

The company had an average (market) debt to equity ratio of 30% during the last five
years, with all of the debt in the US, but it currently has 150 million shares trading at
$10 per share and no debt outstanding. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Assuming that the regression beta is the right beta for the equity for the five-
year period, estimate the cost of equity for the company in US dollar terms
today. (2 points)
b. Now assume that the company plans to sell off its housewares business, which
accounts for 40% of the current value of the company, for fair value, and hold
the cash. If the unlevered beta for housewares is 0.65, estimate the US dollar
cost of equity for the company after this transaction. (You can assume that the
geographical mix is unaffected). (2 points)
c. Now assume that the company plans to sell off its housewares business, which
accounts for 40% of the current value of the company, for fair value, and uses
the cash from the divestiture to invest in the luxury retail business in Mexico,
estimate the cost of equity after this investment. (You can assume that the
EV/Sales ratio for the retail business is 1.5 and that the unlevered beta of this
business is 1.20) (2 points)
2. Collier Inc. is a firm that currently generates an EBITDA of $200 million on
revenues of $ 1 billion (all in the US) and is a mature business, with stable margins
and growth of 2% a year in perpetuity. The company is considering an expansion
opportunity (in the same business) in China, where investing $1.5 billion will allow
the company to double its sales immediately (with the additional sales coming from
China), while generating an EBITDA margin of 40% (in perpetuity) on the additional
sales. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
a. Assume that the company currently is all equity funded and uses a (correct)
US $ cost of capital of 6.5% on its US investments. What cost of capital
would you use for the China expansion, if the company plans to borrow 20%
of the capital needed for the investment at a 5% US $ interest rate? (The risk
free rate in US $ is 2% and the US ERP is 6%; the ERP in China is 9%) (2
points)
b. Assume that 10% of the initial investment will be depreciated each year, but
also that capital maintenance will be 110% of depreciation. Estimate the NPV
of this investment. (2 points)

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c. What is the return on equity on the expansion investment and what does it tell
you about whether the investment is a good or bad one? (Show the
comparison you would make to arrive at your conclusion? (2 points)

3. Xterra Inc. is an all-equity funded technology company that is profitable but is

seeing growth slacken, as it matures. The company has 25 million shares trading at
$10/share currently and generated $10 million in operating income in the most recent
year. The company’s current cost of equity is 6.8%, the risk free rate is 2%, the
marginal tax rate is 40% and the equity risk premium is 6%. You have worked out a
schedule of pre-tax costs of debt for the company, at different dollar debt levels:
$ Debt (millions) $0 $25 $50 $75 $100 $125 $150 $175 $200 $225
Pre-tax cost of debt 3.00% 3.25% 3.60% 4.00% 4.50% 5.00% 6.00% 7.80% 9.00% 12.00%

a. Assume that the company plans to borrow $100 million and buy back shares
at $12.5/share. Estimate the value per share for the remaining shares after the
buyback. (You can assume that the firm is stable and will generate its current
operating income with no growth forever) (3 points
b. Now instead of the recapitalization in part (a), assume now that you could
borrow $175 million to do a leveraged buyout of the company (where you
plan to buy all the shares @$10/share and take the company private). How
much will your equity investment be worth after the transaction? (3 points)
4. You have been given the task of assessing how much FinServe Bank, a small bank
with regulatory capital shortfalls, can pay out in dividends over the next 5 years. The
bank held $200 million in regulatory capital (which you can assume is also equal to
book value of equity) on risk-adjusted assets of $2 billion. It earned net income of
$20 million in the most recent year. The table below provides projections of return on
equity and targeted regulatory capital ratios for the next 5 years:
Year Most recent year 1 2 3 4 5
ROE 10.0% 11.0% 12.0% 13.0% 14.0% 15.0%
Regulatory Capital Ratio 10.0% 10.5% 11.0% 11.5% 12.0% 12.5%

a. Assuming that risk-adjusted assets are expected to increase 5% a year for the
next five years, estimate the FCFE each year for the next 5 years. (3 points)
b. Now assume that the bank wants to maintain its policy of paying out 40% of
its net income as dividend each year for the next five years. Estimate the
regulatory capital ratio in year 5, if the bank issues no new equity. (2 points)
c. Now assume that you are an investor who likes dividends and would like to
invest in banks that not only pay high dividends but can securely continue to
do so in future years. Holding asset growth constant, which of the following
combination of characteristics would you most like to find in a bank?
i. Increasing ROE and stable regulatory capital ratio
ii. Increasing ROE and rising regulatory capital ratio
iii. Increasing ROE and decreasing regulatory capital ratio
iv. Decreasing ROE and stable regulatory capital ratio
v. Decreasing ROE and rising regulatory capital ratio
vi. Decreasing ROE and decreasing regulatory capital ratio
5. Delta General is a publicly traded company and you have been provided the
following information on its expected revenues and after-tax operating income (in $
millions), each year for the next 5 years:

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Last year 1 2 3 4 5
Expected Growth rate 8.00% 8.00% 8.00% 8.00% 8.00%
Revenues $1,000.00 $1,080.00 $1,166.40 $1,259.71 $1,360.49 $1,469.33
EBIT (1-t) $120.00 $129.60 $139.97 $151.17 $163.26 $176.32

The company currently has 150 million shares trading at $10/share (book value of
equity=$500 million). The company also had $400 million in debt outstanding (book and
market value) and $300 million in cash. The cost of capital for the firm is expected to be
12% for the next 5 years and drop to 8% thereafter.
a. Assuming that the firm’s return on invested capital stays at its current level for
the next 5 years, estimate the free cash flow to the firm each year for the next
five years. (2 points)
b. After year 5, you expect the firm’s return on invested capital to halve (from
current levels) and the expected growth rate to drop to 2% a year in perpetuity.
Estimate the terminal value at the end of year 5. (1.5 points)
c. Estimate the value of equity per share today. (2.5 points)