Goodwin has been very successful, but it hasn't paid a dividend yet. It circulates a report to its key investors containing the following statement: Goodwin's investment opportunities are poor. Is this statement a possible explanation for why the firm hasn't paid a dividend yet?

Explain why the following statement is wrong: “The stock price is equal to the value of equity, divided by shares outstanding. Therefore, companies should avoid issuing equity because the number of shares outstanding goes up and thus the stock price would decrease."

Which of the following statements about payout policy is FALSE? a.  Share repurchases concentrate ownership in the hands of the remaining shareholders, making their shares worth more than they were before the repurchase.   b.  Firms should generally pay out no more than their free cash flow to equity, unless they are in the process of paying out a large cash balance.   c.  Dividends typically increase at a slower rate than earnings.   d.  Firms today return more cash to shareholders through repurchases than through dividends.   e.  Dividends are lower for firms that have higher growth rates.

North Star is trying to determine its optimal capital structure, which now consists of only common equity. The firm will add debt to its capital structure if it minimizes its WACC, but the firm has no plans to use preferred stock in its capital structure. In addition, the firm’s size will remain the same, so funds obtained from debt issued will be used to repurchase stock. The percentage of shares repurchased will be equal to the percentage of debt added to the firm’s capital structure. (In other words, if the firm’s debt-to-capital ratio increases from 0 to 25%, then 25% of the shares outstanding will be repurchased.) North Star is a small firm with average sales of $25 million or less during the past 3 years, so it is exempt from the interest deduction limitation. Its treasury staff has consulted with investment bankers. On the basis of those discussions, the staff has created the following table showing the firm’s debt cost at different debt levels: Debt-to-Capital Ratio  (Wd)…

Which of the following would reduce a firm's WACC after tax? a. A firm invests in an average-risk project using equity, rather than debt financing. b. A supermarket chain decides to establish hardware stores which increases its systematic risk. c. A firm issues shares and uses the proceeds to pay off a bank loan. d. A firm issues bonds and uses the proceeds to repurchase stock. e. A firm significantly improves its operating cost control to boost profits.

If a firm plans to issue new stock, flotation costs (investment bankers' fees) should not be ignored. There are two approaches to use to account for flotation costs. The first approach is to add the sum of flotation costs for the debt, preferred, and common stock and add them to the initial investment cost. Because the investment cost is increased, the project's expected rate of return is reduced so it may not meet the firm's hurdle rate for acceptance of the project. The second approach involves adjusting the cost of common equity as follows: Cost of equity from new stock = r, D1 +8 Po(1-F) The difference between the flotation-adjusted cost of equity and the cost of equity calculated without the flotation adjustment represents the flotation cost adjustment. Quantitative Problem: Barton Industries expects next year's annual dividend, D1, to be $1.90 and it expects dividends to grow at a constant rate g = 4.3%. The firm's current common stock price, Po, is $25.00. If it needs to issue…

North Star is trying to determine its optimal capital structure, which now consists of only common equity. The firm will add debt to its capital structure if it minimizes its WACC, but the firm has no plans to use preferred stock in its capital structure. In addition, the firm’s size will remain the same, so funds obtained from debt issued will be used to repurchase stock. The percentage of shares repurchased will be equal to the percentage of debt added to the firm’s capital structure. (In other words, if the firm’s debt-to-capital ratio increases from 0 to 25%, then 25% of the shares outstanding will be repurchased.) North Star is a small firm with average sales of $25 million or less during the past 3 years, so it is exempt from the interest deduction limitation. Its treasury staff has consulted with investment bankers. On the basis of those discussions, the staff has created the following table showing the firm’s debt cost at different debt levels: Debt-to-Capital Ratio  (Wd)…

Explain how you will manage each of these situations. Your company invests in overseas companies paying high dividends. Due to COVID-19, foreign companies have reduced their dividend payouts.

The corporate valuation model, the price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple approach, and the economic value added (EVA) approach are some examples of valuation techniques. The corporate valuation model is similar to the dividend-based valuation that you’ve done in previous problems, but it focuses on a firm’s free cash flows (FCFs) instead of its dividends. Some firms don’t pay dividends, or their dividends are difficult to forecast. For that reason, some analysts use the corporate valuation model.   Charles Underwood Agency Inc. has an expected net operating profit after taxes, EBIT(1 – T), of $17,400 million in the coming year. In addition, the firm is expected to have net capital expenditures of $2,610 million, and net operating working capital (NOWC) is expected to increase by $30 million. How much free cash flow (FCF) is Charles Underwood Agency Inc. expected to generate over the next year? $14,820 million   $19,980 million   $321,693 million   $14,760 million…