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

Define exchange exposure of company affect by exchange rate, Assume that yo...

Assume that your company has an equity position in a French firm. Explain the condition under which the dollar/franc exchange rate uncertainty does not comprise exchange exposure f

State the exam technique for analysing performance, Exam technique for anal...

Exam technique for analysing performance The below steps must be adopted when answering a question on analysing performance: Step 1    Review figures as they are and commen

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

Exchange of physicals, Exchange of Physicals: A trader can also complet...

Exchange of Physicals: A trader can also complete the futures contract by engaging in exchange of physicals. In this method, the parties agree to exchange cash and the commodit

What is functional benchmarking, Best practice or functional benchmarking ...

Best practice or functional benchmarking Compare an internal function to 'the best' however not necessarily an organisation in same industry for example compare administrati

Share-based payments and retirement benefits, Applicant should have been we...

Applicant should have been well versed in the calculation of actuarial losses and gains on pensions. It would have been significant to ensure each item affecting liabilities and as

Explain the concept of the world beta of a security, Explain the concept of...

Explain the concept of the world beta of a security. Answer:  The world beta calculates the sensitivity of returns to a security to returns to the world market portfolio. It is

Quarterly earnings studies, Quarterly Earnings Studies The Quarterly Ea...

Quarterly Earnings Studies The Quarterly Earnings Studies are a part of time-series analysis. These studies aim at predicting future returns for a stock based on publicly avail

Graphical depiction using duration to estimate price changes, The price vol...

The price volatility properties of bonds with the help of the graph of the price/yield relationship. Let us now, with the help of a graph, illustrate how duration estim

Advantages and disadvantages of pay back period, Advantages: It is ...

Advantages: It is easy to calculate and catch. With the help of this technique, projects can be ranked in terms of their economic merits without much of complication.

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