market beta, 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:- market beta

Discount and premium, What is the  Discount and Premium? Describe please.

What is the  Discount and Premium? Describe please.

Conversion privilege, In convertible bonds, bondholders get a right t...

In convertible bonds, bondholders get a right to convert their bonds for a specific number of shares of the bond issuer. This privilege allows bondholders to take

Find the expected dividend - stocks, You are considering the purchase of so...

You are considering the purchase of some shares of PECO Inc. common stock which paid a dividend of $1.50 today. You expect the dividend to grow at the rate of 7% per year for the n

Does high operating leverage always mean high business risk, Does high oper...

Does high operating leverage always mean high business risk?  Explain. High operating leverage does not all the time mean high business risk.  If the companies sales are quite

What are the needs for financial statement analysis, Q. What are the needs ...

Q. What are the needs for financial statement analysis? The financial statements are to be studies for the following purposes. a) To make comparisons between two sets of fin

Determine the term- investment decision, Determine the term- Investment dec...

Determine the term- Investment decision Investment decision is broadly concerned with asset-mix or composition of the assets of a firm. Concern of the financing decision is wit

Advanced Accounting, Balance Sheets Peony Ltd. Aster Ltd. ...

Balance Sheets Peony Ltd. Aster Ltd. Assets: Cash $ 62,500 $ 25,000 Accounts receivable 187,500 200,000 Inventori

The selling process, The Selling Process The four key elements that con...

The Selling Process The four key elements that constitute the selling process are: (i) identification of prospective buyers, (ii) selection of the type of selling process to be

What is cost recovery method, Q. What is Cost Recovery Method? Cost Rec...

Q. What is Cost Recovery Method? Cost Recovery Method - METHOD OF REVENUE RECOGNITION that identifies profits after costs are entirely recovered. Normally used only when the to

Tax-backed debt obligations, Tax-backed debt obligations are the debt...

Tax-backed debt obligations are the debt instruments issued by counties, states, cities, towns, special districts and school districts. These are secured by some

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