Advance Finance Ch 14-16

Confu Inc. expects to have the following data during the coming year. What is the firm's expected ROE? Assets $200,000 Interest rate 8% Debt/Assets, book value 65% Tax rate 40% EBIT $25,000 a. 12.51% b. 13.14% c. 13.80% d. 14.49% e. 15.21%

a. 12.51%

Gator Fabrics Inc. currently has zero debt (i.e., wd = 0). It is a zero growth company, and additional firm data are shown below. Now the company is considering using some debt, moving to the new capital structure indicated below. The money raised would be used to repurchase stock at the current price. It is estimated that the increase in risk resulting from the additional leverage would cause the required rate of return on equity to rise somewhat, as indicated below. If this plan were carried out, by how much would the WACC change, i.e., what is WACCOld - WACCNew? wd 55% Orig. cost of equity, rs 10.0% wc 45% New cost of equity = rs 11.0% Interest rate new = rd 7.0% Tax rate 40% a. 2.74% b. 3.01% c. 3.32% d. 3.65% e. 4.01%

a. 2.74%

Longstreet Inc. has fixed operating costs of $470,000, variable costs of $2.80 per unit produced, and its product sells for $4.00 per unit. What is the company's break-even point, i.e., at what unit sales volume would income equal costs? a. 391,667 b. 411,250 c. 431,813 d. 453,403 e. 476,073

a. 391,667

You work for the CEO of a new company that plans to manufacture and sell a new product, a watch that has an embedded TV set and a magnifying glass crystal. The issue now is how to finance the company, with only equity or with a mix of debt and equity. Expected operating income is $400,000. Other data for the firm are shown below. How much higher or lower will the firm's expected ROE be if it uses some debt rather than all equity, i.e., what is ROEL - ROEU? 0% Debt, U 60% Debt, L Oper. income (EBIT) $400,000 $400,000 Required investment $2,500,000 $2,500,000 % Debt 0.0% 60.0% $ of Debt $0.00 $1,500,000 $ of Common equity $2,500,000 $1,000,000 Interest rate NA 10.00% Tax rate 35% 35% a. 5.85% b. 6.14% c. 6.45% d. 6.77% e. 7.11%

a. 5.85%

Which of the following events is likely to encourage a company to raise its target debt ratio, other things held constant? a. An increase in the corporate tax rate. b. An increase in the personal tax rate. c. An increase in the company's operating leverage. d. The Federal Reserve tightens interest rates in an effort to fight inflation. e. The company's stock price hits a new high.

a. An increase in the corporate tax rate.

An increase in the debt ratio will generally have no effect on which of these items? a. Business risk. b. Total risk. c. Financial risk. d. Market risk. e. The firm's beta

a. Business risk.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. If Congress lowered corporate tax rates while other things were held constant, and if the Modigliani-Miller tax-adjusted theory of capital structure were correct, this would tend to cause corporations to decrease their use of debt. b. A change in the personal tax rate should not affect firms' capital structure decisions. c. "Business risk" is differentiated from "financial risk" by the fact that financial risk reflects only the use of debt, while business risk reflects both the use of debt and such factors as sales variability, cost variability, and operating leverage. d. The optimal capital structure is the one that simultaneously (1) maximizes the price of the firm's stock, (2) minimizes its WACC, and (3) maximizes its EPS. e. If changes in the bankruptcy code made bankruptcy less costly to corporations, this would likely reduce the average corporation's debt ratio.

a. If Congress lowered corporate tax rates while other things were held constant, and if the Modigliani-Miller tax-adjusted theory of capital structure were correct, this would tend to cause corporations to decrease their use of debt.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. In general, a firm with low operating leverage also has a small proportion of its total costs in the form of fixed costs. b. There is no reason to think that changes in the personal tax rate would affect firms' capital structure decisions. c. A firm with a relatively high business risk is more likely to increase its use of financial leverage than a firm with low business risk, assuming all else equal. d. If a firm's after-tax cost of equity exceeds its after-tax cost of debt, it can always reduce its WACC by increasing its use of debt. e. Suppose a firm has less than its optimal amount of debt. Increasing its use of debt to the point where it is at its optimal capital structure will decrease the costs of both debt and equity.

a. In general, a firm with low operating leverage also has a small proportion of its total costs in the form of fixed costs.

A firm's CFO is considering increasing the target debt ratio, which would also increase the company's interest expense. New bonds would be issued and the proceeds would be used to buy back shares of common stock. Neither total assets nor operating income would change, but expected earnings per share (EPS) would increase. Assuming the CFO's estimates are correct, which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Since the proposed plan increases the firm's financial risk, the stock price might fall even if EPS increases. b. If the plan reduces the WACC, the stock price is likely to decline. c. Since the plan is expected to increase EPS, this implies that net income is also expected to increase. d. If the plan does increase the EPS, the stock price will automatically increase at the same rate. e. Under the plan there will be more bonds outstanding, and that will increase their liquidity and thus lower the interest rate on the currently outstanding bonds.

a. Since the proposed plan increases the firm's financial risk, the stock price might fall even if EPS increases.

Senate Inc. is considering two alternative methods for producing playing cards. Method 1 involves using a machine with a fixed cost (mainly depreciation) of $12,000 and variable costs of $1.00 per deck of cards. Method 2 would use a less expensive machine with a fixed cost of only $5,000, but it would require a variable cost of $1.50 per deck. The sales price per deck would be the same under each method. At what unit output level would the two methods provide the same operating income (EBIT)? a. 12,600 b. 14,000 c. 15,400 d. 16,940 e. 18,634

b. 14,000

Your company, which is financed entirely with common equity, plans to manufacture a new product, a cell phone that can be worn like a wristwatch. Two robotic machines are available to make the phone, Machine A and Machine B. The price per phone will be $250.00 regardless of which machine is used to make it. The fixed and variable costs associated with the two machines are shown below, along with the capital (all equity) that must be invested to purchase each machine. The expected sales level is 25,000 units. Your company has tax loss carry-forwards that will cause its tax rate to be zero for the life of the project, so T = 0. How much higher or lower will the project's ROE be if you select the machine that produces the higher ROE, i.e., what is ROEB - ROEA? (Hint: Since the firm uses no debt and its tax rate is zero, ROE = EBIT/Required investment.) Machine A Machine B Price per phone (P) $250.00 $250.00 Fixed costs (F) $1,000,000 $2,000,000 Variable cost/unit (V) $200.00 $150.00 Expected unit sales (Q) 25,000 25,000 Required equity investment $2,500,000 $3,000,000 a. 6.00% b. 6.67% c. 7.00% d. 7.35% e. 7.72%

b. 6.67%

Companies HD and LD have identical tax rates, total assets, total investor-supplied capital, and returns on investors' capital (ROIC), and their ROICs exceed their after-tax costs of debt, rd(1 - T). However, Company HD has a higher debt ratio and thus more interest expense than Company LD. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company HD has a higher net income than Company LD. b. Company HD has a lower ROA than Company LD. c. Company HD has a lower ROE than Company LD. d. The two companies have the same ROA. e. The two companies have the same ROE.

b. Company HD has a lower ROA than Company LD.

Firms U and L each have the same amount of assets, investor-supplied capital, and both have a return on investors' capital (ROIC) of 12%. Firm U is unleveraged, i.e., it is 100% equity financed, while Firm L is financed with 50% debt and 50% equity. Firm L's debt has an after-tax cost of 8%. Both firms have positive net income and a 35% tax rate. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The two companies have the same times interest earned (TIE) ratio. b. Firm L has a lower ROA than Firm U. c. Firm L has a lower ROE than Firm U. d. Firm L has the higher times interest earned (TIE) ratio. e. Firm L has a higher EBIT than Firm U.

b. Firm L has a lower ROA than Firm U.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. 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. b. The capital structure that minimizes a firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its stock price. c. The capital structure that minimizes the firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its earnings per share. d. If a firm finds that the cost of debt is less than the cost of equity, increasing its debt ratio must reduce its WACC. e. Other things held constant, if corporate tax rates declined, then the Modigliani-Miller tax-adjusted theory would suggest that firms should increase their use of debt.

b. The capital structure that minimizes a firm's weighted average cost of capital is also the capital structure that maximizes its stock price.

Which of the following would tend to increase a firm's target debt ratio, other things held constant? a. The costs associated with filing for bankruptcy increase. b. The corporate tax rate is increased. c. The personal tax rate is increased. d. The Federal Reserve tightens interest rates in an effort to fight inflation. e. The company's stock price hits a new low.

b. The corporate tax rate is increased.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. A firm's business risk is determined solely by the financial characteristics of its industry. b. The factors that affect a firm's business risk include industry characteristics and economic conditions, both of which are generally beyond the firm's control. c. One of the benefits to a firm of being at or near its target capital structure is that this generally minimizes the risk of bankruptcy. d. A firm's financial risk can be minimized by diversification. e. The amount of debt in its capital structure can under no circumstances affect a company's EBIT and business risk.

b. The factors that affect a firm's business risk include industry characteristics and economic conditions, both of which are generally beyond the firm's control.

Which of the following statements best describes the optimal capital structure? a. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that maximizes the company's earnings per share (EPS). b. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that maximizes the company's stock price. c. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that minimizes the company's cost of equity. d. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that minimizes the company's cost of debt. e. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that minimizes the company's cost of preferred stock.

b. The optimal capital structure is the mix of debt, equity, and preferred stock that maximizes the company's stock price.

A major contribution of the Miller model is that it demonstrates, other things held constant, that a. personal taxes increase the value of using corporate debt. b. personal taxes lower the value of using corporate debt. c. personal taxes have no effect on the value of using corporate debt. d. financial distress and agency costs reduce the value of using corporate debt. e. debt costs increase with financial leverage.

b. personal taxes lower the value of using corporate debt.

You plan to invest in one of two home delivery pizza companies, High and Low, that were recently founded and are about to commence operations. They are identical except for their use of debt (wd) and the interest rates on their debt--High uses more debt and thus must pay a higher interest rate. Based on the data given below, how much higher or lower will High's expected EPS be versus that of Low, i.e., what is EPSHigh - EPSLow? Applicable to Both Firms Firm High's Data Firm Low's Data Capital $3,000,000 wd 70% wd 20% EBIT $500,000 Shares 90,000 Shares 240,000 Tax rate 35% Int. rate 12% Int. rate 10% a. $0.49 b. $0.54 c. $0.60 d. $0.66 e. $0.73

c. $0.60

Your uncle is considering investing in a new company that will produce high quality stereo speakers. The sales price would be set at 1.5 times the variable cost per unit; the variable cost per unit is estimated to be $75.00; and fixed costs are estimated at $1,200,000. What sales volume would be required to break even, i.e., to have EBIT = zero? a. 28,880 b. 30,400 c. 32,000 d. 33,600 e. 35,280

c. 32,000

A group of venture investors is considering putting money into Lemma Books, which wants to produce a new reader for electronic books. The variable cost per unit is estimated at $250, the sales price would be set at twice the VC/unit, or $500, and fixed costs are estimated at $750,000. The investors will put up the funds if the project is likely to have an operating income of $500,000 or more. What sales volume would be required in order to meet the minimum profit goal? (Hint: Use the break-even formula, but include the required profit in the numerator.) a. 4,513 b. 4,750 c. 5,000 d. 5,250 e. 5,513

c. 5,000

Firms HD and LD are identical except for their use of debt and the interest rates they pay--HD has more debt and thus must pay a higher interest rate. Based on the data given below, how much higher or lower will HD's ROE be versus that of LD, i.e., what is ROEHD - ROELD? Applicable to Both Firms Firm HD's Data Firm LD's Data Capital $3,000,000 wd 70% wd 20% EBIT $500,000 Int. rate 12% Int. rate 10% Tax rate 35% a. 5.41% b. 5.69% c. 5.99% d. 6.29% e. 6.61%

c. 5.99%

You have been hired by a new firm that is just being started. The CFO wants to finance with 60% debt, but the president thinks it would be better to hold the percentage of debt in the capital structure (wd) to only 10%. Other things held constant, and based on the data below, if the firm uses more debt, by how much would the ROE change, i.e., what is ROENew - ROEOld? Operating Data Other Data Capital $4,000 Higher wd 60% ROIC = EBIT(1 - T)/Capital 13.00% Higher interest rate 13% Tax rate 35% Lower wd 10% Lower interest rate 9% a. 5.44% b. 5.73% c. 6.03% d. 6.33% e. 6.65%

c. 6.03%

Your firm's debt ratio is only 5.00%, but the new CFO thinks that more debt should be employed. She wants to sell bonds and use the proceeds to buy back and retire common shares so the percentage of common equity in the capital structure (wc) = 1 - wd. Other things held constant, and based on the data below, if the firm increases the percentage of debt in its capital structure (wd) to 60.0%, by how much would the ROE change, i.e., what is ROENew - ROEOld? Operating Data Other Data Capital $150,000 Old wd 5% ROIC = EBIT(1 - T)/Capital 13.00% Old interest rate 10% Tax rate 35% New wd 60% New interest rate 12% a. 6.73% b. 7.09% c. 7.46% d. 7.83% e. 8.22%

c. 7.46%

Firm A is very aggressive in its use of debt to leverage up its earnings for common stockholders, whereas Firm NA is not aggressive and uses no debt. The two firms' operations are identical--they have the same total investor-supplied capital, sales, operating costs, and EBIT. Thus, they differ only in their use of financial leverage (wd). Based on the following data, how much higher or lower is A's ROE than that of NA, i.e., what is ROEA - ROENA? Applicable to Both Firms Firm A's Data Firm NA's Data Capital $150,000 wd 50% wd 0% EBIT $40,000 Int. rate 12% Int. rate 10% Tax rate 35% a. 8.60% b. 9.06% c. 9.53% d. 10.01% e. 10.51%

c. 9.53%

You work for the CEO of a new company that plans to manufacture and sell a new type of laptop computer. The issue now is how to finance the company, with only equity or with a mix of debt and equity. Expected operating income is $600,000. Other data for the firm are shown below. How much higher or lower will the firm's expected EPS be if it uses some debt rather than only equity, i.e., what is EPSL - EPSU? 0% Debt, U 60% Debt, L Oper. income (EBIT) $600,000 $600,000 Required investment $2,500,000 $2,500,000 % Debt 0.0% 60.0% $ of Debt $0.00 $1,500,000 $ of Common equity $2,500,000 $1,000,000 Shares issued, $10/share 250,000 100,000 Interest rate NA 10.00% Tax rate 35% 35% a. $1.00 b. $1.11 c. $1.23 d. $1.37 e. $1.50

d. $1.37

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. When a company increases its debt ratio, the costs of equity and debt both increase. Therefore, the WACC must also increase. b. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is generally the capital structure that also maximizes earnings per share. c. All else equal, an increase in the corporate tax rate would tend to encourage companies to increase their debt ratios. d. Since debt financing raises the firm's financial risk, increasing a company's debt ratio will always increase its WACC. e. Since the cost of debt is generally fixed, increasing the debt ratio tends to stabilize net income

c. All else equal, an increase in the corporate tax rate would tend to encourage companies to increase their debt ratios.

Companies HD and LD have identical amounts of assets, investor-supplied capital, operating income (EBIT), tax rates, and business risk. Company HD, however, has a higher debt ratio than LD. Company HD's return on investors' capital (ROIC) exceeds its after-tax cost of debt, rd(1 - T). Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company HD has a higher return on assets (ROA) than Company LD. b. Company HD has a higher times interest earned (TIE) ratio than Company LD. c. Company HD has a higher return on equity (ROE) than Company LD, and its risk as measured by the standard deviation of ROE is also higher than LD's. d. The two companies have the same ROE. e. Company HD's ROE would be higher if it had no debt.

c. Company HD has a higher return on equity (ROE) than Company LD, and its risk as measured by the standard deviation of ROE is also higher than LD's.

Based on the information below, what is the firm's optimal capital structure? a. Debt = 40%; Equity = 60%; EPS = $2.95; Stock price = $26.50. b. Debt = 50%; Equity = 50%; EPS = $3.05; Stock price = $28.90. c. Debt = 60%; Equity = 40%; EPS = $3.18; Stock price = $31.20. d. Debt = 80%; Equity = 20%; EPS = $3.42; Stock price = $30.40. e. Debt = 70%; Equity = 30%; EPS = $3.31; Stock price = $30.00.

c. Debt = 60%; Equity = 40%; EPS = $3.18; Stock price = $31.20.

Companies HD and LD have the same total assets, total investor-supplied capital, operating income (EBIT), tax rate, and business risk. Company HD, however, has a much higher debt ratio than LD. Also, both companies' returns on investors' capital (ROIC) exceed their after-tax costs of debt, rd(1 - T). Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. HD should have a higher return on assets (ROA) than LD. b. HD should have a higher times interest earned (TIE) ratio than LD. c. HD should have a higher return on equity (ROE) than LD, but its risk, as measured by the standard deviation of ROE, should also be higher than LD's. d. Given that ROIC > rd(1 - T), HD's stock price must exceed that of LD. e. Given that ROIC > rd(1 - T), LD's stock price must exceed that of HD.

c. HD should have a higher return on equity (ROE) than LD, but its risk, as measured by the standard deviation of ROE, should also be higher than LD's.

Your firm is currently 100% equity financed. The CFO is considering a recapitalization plan under which the firm would issue long-term debt with an after-tax yield of 9% and use the proceeds to repurchase some of its common stock. The recapitalization would not change the company's total investor-supplied capital, the size of the firm (i.e., total assets), and it would not affect the firm's return on investors' capital (ROIC), which is 15%. The CFO believes that this recapitalization would reduce the firm's WACC and increase its stock price. Which of the following would be likely to occur if the company goes ahead with the recapitalization plan? a. The company's net income would increase. b. The company's earnings per share would decline. c. The company's cost of equity would increase. d. The company's ROA would increase. e. The company's ROE would decline.

c. The company's cost of equity would increase.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Increasing its use of financial leverage is one way to increase a firm's return on investors' capital (ROIC). b. If a firm lowered its fixed costs but increased its variable costs by just enough to hold total costs at the present level of sales constant, this would increase its operating leverage. c. The debt ratio that maximizes expected EPS generally exceeds the debt ratio that maximizes share price. d. If a company were to issue debt and use the money to repurchase common stock, this would reduce its return on investors' capital (ROIC). (Assume that the repurchase has no impact on the company's operating income.) e. If a change in the bankruptcy code made bankruptcy less costly to corporations, this would tend to reduce corporations' debt ratios.

c. The debt ratio that maximizes expected EPS generally exceeds the debt ratio that maximizes share price.

Assume that you and your brother plan to open a business that will make and sell a newly designed type of sandal. Two robotic machines are available to make the sandals, Machine A and Machine B. The price per pair will be $20.00 regardless of which machine is used. The fixed and variable costs associated with the two machines are shown below. What is the difference between the break-even points for Machines A and B? (Hint: Find BEB - BEA) Machine A Machine B Price per pair (P) $20.00 $20.00 Fixed costs (F) $25,000 $100,000 Variable cost/unit (V) $7.00 $4.00 a. 3,154 b. 3,505 c. 3,894 d. 4,327 e. 4,760

d. 4,327

Southwest U's campus book store sells course packs for $15 each, the variable cost per pack is $9, fixed costs to produce the packs are $200,000, and expected annual sales are 50,000 packs. What are the pre-tax profits from sales of course packs? a. $ 72,900 b. $ 81,000 c. $ 90,000 d. $100,000 e. $110,000

d. $100,000

Your company plans to produce a new product, a wireless computer mouse. Two machines can be used to make the mouse, Machines A and B. The price per mouse will be $25.00 regardless of which machine is used. The fixed and variable costs associated with the two machines are shown below. At the expected sales level of 75,000 units, how much higher or lower will the firm's expected EBIT be if it uses Machine B with high fixed costs rather than Machine A with low fixed costs, i.e., what is EBITB - EBITA? Machine A Machine B Price per mouse (P) $25.00 $25.00 Fixed costs (F) $100,000 $400,000 Variable cost/unit (V) $15.25 $9.00 Exp. unit sales (Q) 75,000 75,000 a. $123,019 b. $136,688 c. $151,875 d. $168,750 e. $185,625

d. $168,750

Southwest U's campus book store sells course packs for $16 each. The variable cost per pack is $10, and at current annual sales of 50,000 packs, the store earns $75,000 before taxes on course packs. How much are the fixed costs of producing the course packs? a. $164,025 b. $182,250 c. $202,500 d. $225,000 e. $247,500

d. $225,000

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that minimizes the cost of equity from retained earnings (rs). b. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that maximizes earnings per share. c. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that maximizes the firm's times interest earned (TIE) ratio. d. If a company increases its debt ratio, this will typically increase the marginal costs of both debt and equity, but it still may reduce the company's WACC. e. If Congress were to pass legislation that increases the personal tax rate but decreases the corporate tax rate, this would encourage companies to increase their debt ratios.

d. If a company increases its debt ratio, this will typically increase the marginal costs of both debt and equity, but it still may reduce the company's WACC.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Since debt financing raises the firm's financial risk, increasing the target debt ratio will always increase the WACC. b. Since debt financing is cheaper than equity financing, raising a company's debt ratio will always reduce its WACC. c. Increasing a company's debt ratio will typically reduce the marginal costs of both debt and equity financing. However, this action still may raise the company's WACC. d. Increasing a company's debt ratio will typically increase the marginal costs of both debt and equity financing. However, this action still may lower the company's WACC. e. Since a firm's beta coefficient is not affected by its use of financial leverage, leverage does not affect the cost of equity.

d. Increasing a company's debt ratio will typically increase the marginal costs of both debt and equity financing. However, this action still may lower the company's WACC.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The capital structure that maximizes expected EPS also maximizes the price per share of common stock. b. The capital structure that minimizes the interest rate on debt also maximizes the expected EPS. c. The capital structure that minimizes the required return on equity also maximizes the stock price. d. The capital structure that minimizes the WACC also maximizes the price per share of common stock. e. The capital structure that gives the firm the best bond rating also maximizes the stock price.

d. The capital structure that minimizes the WACC also maximizes the price per share of common stock.

Business risk is affected by a firm's operations. Which of the following is NOT directly associated with (or does not directly contribute to) business risk? a. Demand variability. b. Sales price variability. c. The extent to which operating costs are fixed. d. The extent to which interest rates on the firm's debt fluctuate. e. Input price variability.

d. The extent to which interest rates on the firm's debt fluctuate.

As a consultant to First Responder Inc., you have obtained the following data (dollars in millions). The company plans to pay out all of its earnings as dividends, hence g = 0. Also, no net new investment in operating capital is needed because growth is zero. The CFO believes that a move from zero debt to 20.0% debt would cause the cost of equity to increase from 10.0% to 12.0%, and the interest rate on the new debt would be 8.0%. What would the firm's total market value be if it makes this change? Hints: Find the FCF, which is equal to NOPAT = EBIT(1 - T) because no new operating capital is needed, and then divide by (WACC - g). Oper. income (EBIT) $800 Tax rate 40.0% New cost of equity (rs) 12.00% New wd 20.0% Interest rate (rd) 8.00% a. $2,982 b. $3,314 c. $3,682 d. $4,091 e. $4,545

e. $4,545

El Capitan Foods has a capital structure of 40% debt and 60% equity, its tax rate is 35%, and its beta (leveraged) is 1.25. Based on the Hamada equation, what would the firm's beta be if it used no debt, i.e., what is its unlevered beta, bU? a. 0.71 b. 0.75 c. 0.79 d. 0.83 e. 0.87

e. 0.87

Which of the following statements is CORRECT, holding other things constant? a. Firms whose assets are relatively liquid tend to have relatively low bankruptcy costs, hence they tend to use relatively little debt. b. An increase in the personal tax rate is likely to increase the debt ratio of the average corporation. c. If changes in the bankruptcy code make bankruptcy less costly to corporations, then this would likely lead to lower debt ratios for corporations. d. An increase in the company's degree of operating leverage would tend to encourage the firm to use more debt in its capital structure so as to keep its total risk unchanged. e. An increase in the corporate tax rate would in theory encourage companies to use more debt in their capital structures.

e. An increase in the corporate tax rate would in theory encourage companies to use more debt in their capital structures.

Other things held constant, which of the following events would be most likely to encourage a firm to increase the amount of debt in its capital structure? a. Its sales are projected to become less stable in the future. b. The bankruptcy laws are changed in a way that would make bankruptcy more costly to the firm and its stockholders. c. Management believes that the firm's stock is currently overvalued. d. The firm decides to automate its factory with specialized equipment and thus increase its use of operating leverage. e. The corporate tax rate is increased.

e. The corporate tax rate is increased.

The firm's target capital structure should do which of the following? a. Maximize the earnings per share (EPS). b. Minimize the cost of debt (rd). c. Obtain the highest possible bond rating. d. Minimize the cost of equity (rs). e. Minimize the weighted average cost of capital (WACC).

e. Minimize the weighted average cost of capital (WACC).

Your firm has $500 million of investor-supplied capital, its return on investors' capital (ROIC) is 15%, and it currently has no debt in its capital structure (i.e., wd = 0). The CFO is contemplating a recapitalization where it would issue debt at an after-tax cost of 10% and use the proceeds to buy back some of its common stock, such that the percentage of common equity in the capital structure (wc) is 1 - wd. If the company goes ahead with the recapitalization, its operating income, the size of the firm (i.e., total assets), total investor-supplied capital, and tax rate would remain unchanged. Which of the following is most likely to occur as a result of the recapitalization? a. The ROA would increase. b. The ROA would remain unchanged. c. The return on investors' capital would decline. d. The return on investors' capital would increase. e. The ROE would increase.

e. The ROE would increase.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. As a rule, the optimal capital structure is found by determining the debt-equity mix that maximizes expected EPS. b. The optimal capital structure simultaneously maximizes EPS and minimizes the WACC. c. The optimal capital structure minimizes the cost of equity, which is a necessary condition for maximizing the stock price. d. The optimal capital structure simultaneously minimizes the cost of debt, the cost of equity, and the WACC. e. The optimal capital structure simultaneously maximizes the stock price and minimizes the WACC.

e. The optimal capital structure simultaneously maximizes the stock price and minimizes the WACC.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? As a firm increases the operating leverage used to produce a given quantity of output, this a. normally leads to an increase in its fixed assets turnover ratio. b. normally leads to a decrease in its business risk. c. normally leads to a decrease in the standard deviation of its expected EBIT. d. normally leads to a decrease in the variability of its expected EPS. e. normally leads to a reduction in its fixed assets turnover ratio.

e. normally leads to a reduction in its fixed assets turnover ratio.