Working Capital Management, Financial Management

Assignment Help:
The management of Nelson plc wish to estimate their firm’s equity beta. Nelson has had a stock market quotation for only two months and the financial management feels that it would be inappropriate to estimate beta from the actual share price behavior over such a short period. Instead it is proposed to ascertain, and where necessary adjust, the observed equity betas of other companies operating in the same industry, and with the same operating characteristics as Nelson, as these should be based on similar levels of systematic risk and be capable of providing an accurate estimate of Nelson’s beta

Three companies have been identified as firms having operations in the same industry as Nelson with identical operating characteristics. However, only one company, Oak plc, operates exclusively in the same industry as Nelson. The other two companies have some dissimilar activities or opportunities in additional to those which are the same as those of Nelson.

Details of the three companies are as follows;

a. Oak plc has an observed equity beta of 1.12. The capital structure at market value is 60% equity, 40% debt.

b. Beech plc has an observed equity beta of 1.11. It is estimated that 30% of the current market value of Beech is caused by risky growth opportunities which have an estimated beta of 1.9. The growth opportunities are reflected in the observed beta. Beech’s other activities are the same as Nelson’s. Beech is financed entirely by equity.


c. Pine plc has an observed equity beta of 1.14. Pine has two divisions, East and West. East’s operating characteristics are considered to be identical to those of Nelson. The operating characteristics of West are considered to be 50% more risky than those of East. In terms of financial valuation East is estimated as being twice as valuable as west. The capital structure of Pine at market values is 75% equity, 25% debt.

Nelson is financed by equity. The tax rate is 40%.

Required

a. Assuming all debt is virtually risk-free, make three estimate of the equity beta of Nelson plc. The three estimates should be based, separately, on the information provided for Oak, Beech and Pine.

b. Explain why the estimated beta of Nelson, when eventually determined from observed share price movements, may differ from the value derived from the approach in (a) above.

c. State the reason why a company has a very volatile share price and is generally considered to be extremely risky can have a lower beta value, and therefore lower financial risk, than an equally geared firm whose share price is much less volatile.

Related Discussions:- Working Capital Management

Caselets, How would you judge the potential profit of Bajaj Electronics on ...

How would you judge the potential profit of Bajaj Electronics on the first year of sales to Booth Plastics and give your views to increase the profit.

Explain the political events in a host country, Discuss the different ways ...

Discuss the different ways political events in a host country may affect local operations of an MNC. Answer:  The answer can be organized based on the three types of political ri

Calculate the interest rate on the investment, Jessica is given the opportu...

Jessica is given the opportunity to invest $5,000 now and receive $5,700 at the end of one year. However, she could only invest $1,000 of her own money and would need to borrow the

Define mergers affect consumers, How do mergers affect consumers? A: Th...

How do mergers affect consumers? A: The impacts mergers have on consumers vary widely. There may be a few inconvenience and anxiety when a customer's bank or branch is obtained

Genital and reproductive function, Genital and Reproductive Function: ...

Genital and Reproductive Function: J.Y. is a 43-year-old woman who has detected a lump in the upper outer quadrant of her left breast while performing her monthly self-breast

Correlation among stock index returns, Correlation Among Stock Index Return...

Correlation Among Stock Index Returns Correlation among stock Index Returns can be defined as the extent to which the values of different types of investments move in tandem wi

Regular versus special redemption prices, The call prices for vario...

The call prices for various issues mentioned above are known as regular redemption prices. Point to be noted is that the regular redemption prices are above

Financial statement analysis , Case Study based on Financial Statement Anal...

Case Study based on Financial Statement Analysis of Hatsun Agro Private Limited 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE

Discounted cash flow, Discounted Cash Flow A technique used to present...

Discounted Cash Flow A technique used to present a forecasted stream of future cash flows in conditions of its present value, or its value in today's dollars. Discounted cash

Define the balance of payments, Define the balance of payments. Answer:  ...

Define the balance of payments. Answer:  The balance of payments that is abbreviated as BOP can be defined as the statistical record of a country’s international transactions ove

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd