Reference no: EM131340255

Southwestern Electric Company.' John Hatteras, the financial analyst for Southwestern Electric Company, is responsible for preliminary analysis of the company's investment projects.

Assets		Liabilities
Short term assets	2,000	Debt	6,000
Plant and equipment	8,000	Equity	4,000
total	10,000	Total	10,000

Total market value of equity = $2,000.00
Number of shares outstanding = 1,000
Price per share = 2.00
Total earnings for the year 19xx = 600.00
Earnings per share = .60

Year	Outflows	Inflows	Interest
1	250	10	7.5
2	250	20	15.0
3	250	25	22.5
4	250	60	30.0
5-30	0	110	30.0
31-40	0	80	30.0
41	0	40	0

He is currently trying to evaluate two large projects that management has decided to consider as a single joint project, because it is felt that the geographical diversification the joint project provides would be advantageous. Southwestern Electric was founded in the early 1930s and has operated profitably ever since. Growing at about the same rate as the population in its service areas, the company has usually been able to forecast its revenues with a great deal of accuracy.

The stable pattern in revenues and a favorable regulatory environment have caused most investors to view Southwestern as an investment of very low risk. Hatteras is concerned because one of the two projects uses a new technology that will be very profitable, assuming that demand is high in a booming economy, but will do poorly in a recessionary economy.

However, the expected cash flows of the two projects, supplied by the engineering department, are identical. The expected after-tax cash flows on operating income for the joint project are given in Table Q14.5. Both projects are exactly the same size, so the cash flow for one is simply half the joint cash flow. In order to better evaluate the project, Hatteras applies his knowledge of modern finance theory. He estimates that the beta of the riskier project is .75, whereas the beta for the less risky project is .4375.

These betas, however, are based on the covariance between the return on after-tax operating income and the market. Hatteras vaguely recalls that any discount rate he decides to apply to the project should consider financial risk as well as operating (or business) risk. The beta for the equity of Southwestern is .5. The company has a ratio of debt to total assets of 50% and a marginal tax rate of 4071. Because the bonds of Southwestern are rated Aaa, Hatteras decides to assume that they are risk free.

Finally, after consulting his investment banker, Hatteras believes that 1871 is a reasonable estimate of the expected return on the market. The joint project, if undertaken, will represent 10% of the corporation's assets. Southwestern intends to finance the joint project with 50% debt and 50% equity. Hatteras wants to submit a report that answers the following questions:

a) What is the appropriate required rate of return for the new project?

b) What are the cost of equity capital and the weighted average cost of capital for Southwestern Electric before it takes the project?

c) Should the joint project be accepted?

d) What would the outcome be if the projects are considered separately?

e) If the joint project is accepted, what will the firm's new risk level be?