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

Role of primary dealers, Role of Primary Dealers To promote the investm...

Role of Primary Dealers To promote the investment activity in the Government Securities market, several countries have adopted licensed Primary Dealers (PDs) as important inter

NPV calc, Capital cost of product a is ? 5 crores and initial capital cost ...

Capital cost of product a is ? 5 crores and initial capital cost of product b is ? 3 crores. Life of product a is 30 years and life of product b is 10 years . The difference in ini

Explain the working of insurance companies, Insurance companies The pri...

Insurance companies The primary purpose of insurance companies is to protect individuals and firms known as policy-holders from adverse events. Insurance companies receive prem

Investment objectives, Investment Objectives: Any investment should alw...

Investment Objectives: Any investment should always start with identifying its objective. Thus, the first step in the pension fund investment management system is defining the

International markets, Explain the random walk model for exchange rate fore...

Explain the random walk model for exchange rate forecasting. Can it be consistent with technical analysis?

Discuss the pros and cons of financing in unhedged, You have the following ...

You have the following information about rates in London for Eurocurrency loans of one-year duration, the exchange rate between the USD and euros, the currency in which you want fi

How to calculate payment of expenses, How to calculate payment of expenses:...

How to calculate payment of expenses: SAIB, LLC is a US company that provides cell phone and internet service; it seeks to expand its international operations into Kyrgyzstan.

Accounting standards, Accounting Standards The paradigm shift in the e...

Accounting Standards The paradigm shift in the economic environment during last few years has led to increasing attention being devoted to accounting standards as a means towa

Determine about the call and put option, Determine about the call and put o...

Determine about the call and put option A call/ put option provision allow both issuing company and investor to redeem the bonds at a specified amount before maturity date. Lon

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