Market Beta, Corporate Finance

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:- Market Beta

Endowment, #quOn Completion of her introductory finance course, Kieran was ...

#quOn Completion of her introductory finance course, Kieran was so pleased with the amount of useful and interesting knowledge she gained that she convinced her parents, who were w

NPV, The First Bank of Ellicott City has issued perpetual preferred stock w...

The First Bank of Ellicott City has issued perpetual preferred stock with a $100 par value. The bank pays a quarterly dividend of $1.65 on this stock. What is the current price of

Amortizing a loan, Suppose you take out a loan of $10,000, repayable by fiv...

Suppose you take out a loan of $10,000, repayable by five equal annual instalments. The interest rate is 10% per year. (a) How much do you need to repay per year to the nearest ce

Greek Debt Exchange, BUS 270 Team Assignment: Greek Debt Exchange On the e...

BUS 270 Team Assignment: Greek Debt Exchange On the evening of February 20, 2012 private institutional investors, representatives of the IMF, ECB, and European governments agreed

D, differentiate between allocative efficiency and pricing efficiency

differentiate between allocative efficiency and pricing efficiency

MBA assignment, I need some ideas or topic for my 8-12 pages semester assig...

I need some ideas or topic for my 8-12 pages semester assignment. Further more tools to solve the assignment. I''m working in an engineering company (in a technical role).

Interest Rates and Bond Valuation, Bond J is a 4 percent coupon bond. Bond ...

Bond J is a 4 percent coupon bond. Bond K is a 12 percent coupon bond. Both bonds have 8 years to maturity, make semiannual payments and have a YTM of 7 percent....what are the mon

Show the different functions of a bill of lading, CAC Co Ltd is engaged in ...

CAC Co Ltd is engaged in the import and distribution of air conditioners from China. The business has been in existence since year 2000 and the exporter has been trading 50% on do

Cost of capital, i have a project due on the cost of capital for a specific...

i have a project due on the cost of capital for a specific company 3500 word limit, can you help me

Forecasting methods, In this paper, we propose new forecasting methods base...

In this paper, we propose new forecasting methods based on advance demand information, and perform a case study to compare them to existing ones based on advance demand information

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