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

Illustrate the zero bonds security instruments, Illustrate the zero bonds s...

Illustrate the zero bonds security instruments. Zero coupon bonds are instruments under that a borrower promises, at the recent time, to pay one exact nominal sum (face value)

Solution to shareholders versus managers conflict, Solutions to this Confli...

Solutions to this Conflict In common, to make sure that managers act to the best interest of shareholders, the firm will: (a) Acquire Agency Costs in the form of:

Explain the asset substitution effect, Question: a. Explain what the de...

Question: a. Explain what the debt overhang problem is (following the lines of Myers 1977) make sure that you specify what the relevant conflict of interest is and what are the

Cash flow matching, Cash flow matching strategy is used to build a ...

Cash flow matching strategy is used to build a bond portfolio wherein the cash flows of the bond portfolio exactly match a stream of liabilities. The most s

State the concept of overtrading, State the concept of Overtrading Over...

State the concept of Overtrading Overtrading can result in insolvency which means companies have severe cash flow problems. This means that a thriving company, which may look v

Secondary market organise exchanges-over the counter markets, How can secon...

How can secondary market organised the exchanges and over the counter markets? Exchanges and over-the-counter (OTC) markets: Secondary markets can be organised by exchanges

How to calculate present value?, Illustration  Vishal Mehta & Co....

Illustration  Vishal Mehta & Co., Mumbai issued 7%, 5-year bond on 31st December 2006. The par value of a bond is Rs. 100. This bond pays interest annually and

Examine the difference between explicit and implicit cost, Examine the diff...

Examine the difference between Explicit Cost and Implicit Cost Cost of capital can be either implicit cost or explicit. Explicit cost of any source of capital is the discount r

Which ratios would a banker be most interested, Which ratios would a banker...

Which ratios would a banker be most interested in when considering whether to approve an application for a short-term business loan? Explain. Bankers and another lenders use li

Long-term debt, Long- T er m Debt Long-term debt is a deb...

Long- T er m Debt Long-term debt is a debt obligation that has a maturity from the date the obligation was incurred of more than one year. The debt obligation com

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