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

Condition market to book value ratios be misleading, Under what circumstanc...

Under what circumstances would market to book value ratios be misleading?  Explain. The Market to Book ratio is helpful, but it is just only a rough approximation of how liquid

Bond and Stock valuation, 2. Suppose a 12% coupon bond sells at par today; ...

2. Suppose a 12% coupon bond sells at par today; and three years from today, the required rate on the same bond is 8%. What is the coupon rate on the bond today and what will it be

Find out the interest rate parity is currently holding, Presently, the spot...

Presently, the spot exchange rate is $1.50/£ and the three-month forward exchange rate is $1.52/£. The three-month interest rate is 8.0% per year in the U.S. and 5.8% per year in t

Profitability ratios, A holder in debt obligation, though does not ha...

A holder in debt obligation, though does not have any opportunity to share in the economic growth of the firm, is interested in a firm's profitability because it

Performance of mutual funds, Performance of Mutual Funds The performanc...

Performance of Mutual Funds The performance of Mutual Funds can be evaluated by calculating the rate of return earned during the relevant comparison period. The return will inc

Non-traditional mortgages, Non-traditional mortgages also referred to...

Non-traditional mortgages also referred to as Alternative Mortgage Instruments (AMIs), do not have level monthly payments, but employ some other structure of payment.

What do you mean by hedge fund, Q. What do you mean by Hedge Fund? In t...

Q. What do you mean by Hedge Fund? In the easiest strategy a hedge fund borrows Hong Kong dollars (HKD) and then sells them in the market against USD that is they short the HKD

Wha is asset turnover- performance ratios, Wha is Asset turnover- performan...

Wha is Asset turnover- performance ratios Asset turnover = Turnover/ Total assets or capital employed This demonstrates how much sales are generated for every £1 of capit

Dow jones global index (djgi), Dow Jones Global Index (DJGI) The DJGI a...

Dow Jones Global Index (DJGI) The DJGI aims to cover 95% of market capitalisation at country level. As with FTSE and MSCI, there are the same 23 developed markets, but with gre

Role of sponsor, Role of Sponsor In the establishment of mutual fund tr...

Role of Sponsor In the establishment of mutual fund trust, the main role is played by the sponsors. Both the trustees and the fund managers or the asset management company have

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