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

Standard deviation for every project, AOT limited is considering two mutual...

AOT limited is considering two mutually exclusive projects - cable and satellite.  The possible NPVs for every project and their associated probabilities are as follows: Cable:

Expects the per capita expenditure, Expects the per capita expenditure: ...

Expects the per capita expenditure: A township expects its population of 5,000 to grow annually at the rate of 5%. The township currently spends $300 per inhabitant, but, as t

Explain economic exposure to exchange risk, How would you explain economic ...

How would you explain economic exposure to exchange risk? Answer: Economic exposure can be illustrated as the opportunity that the firm’s cash flows and so its market value may

Discuss the objectives of financial statements, Question: The Statement...

Question: The Statement of Principles for Financial Reporting sets out the principles that should underlie the preparation and presentation of general-purpose financial stateme

What is business combinations, Q. What is Business Combinations? Combin...

Q. What is Business Combinations? Combining of two entities. Under PURCHASE METHOD OFACCOUNTING, one entity is deemed to attain another and there is a new basis of accountingfo

Gordon''s dividend equalisation model, If the EPS is Rs.5, dividend pay-out...

If the EPS is Rs.5, dividend pay-out ratio is 50%, cost of equity is 20% and growth rate in the ROI is 15%. What is the value of the stock as per Gordon's Dividend Equalisation Mod

Directional strategies--investment strategy of hedge funds, Directional Str...

Directional Strategies : Strategies in this category involve buying or/and selling securities or financial instruments that the markets believe to be significantly overpriced or un

Importance of the cost of capital, Q. Importance of the Cost of Capital? ...

Q. Importance of the Cost of Capital? Importance of the Cost of Capital:- (1) Useful in Designing the Capital Structure: - The perception of cost of capital plays a very imp

Show the sales forecasting, A niche market targets a well-defined and speci...

A niche market targets a well-defined and specific market segment. Firms that operate in niche markets will therefore cater for the precise and distinct needs of their customers. D

What is a fair price for a share, Sega Inc. expects earnings/dividends to g...

Sega Inc. expects earnings/dividends to grow at an annual rate of 30 percent for the next 4 years. After that they feel that the market will get saturated and the growth rate will

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