Western Electric Utility Company faces increasing needs for capital. Fortunately, it has an A (low) credit rating. The corporate tax rate is 30 percent. Western’s treasurer is trying to determine the corporation’s current weighted average cost of capital to assess the profitability of capital budgeting projects. Historically, the corporation’s earnings and dividends per share have increased at about a 6.0 percent annual rate. Western Electric’s common stock is selling at $60 per share, and the company will pay a $4.50 per share dividend (D1). The company’s $100 preferred stock has been yielding 9 percent in the current market. Flotation costs for the company have been estimated by its investment dealer to be $1.50 for preferred stock. The company’s optimum capital structure is 40 percent debt, 10 percent preferred stock, and 50 percent common equity in the form of retained earnings. Refer to the table below on bond issues for comparative yields on bonds of equal risks to Western Electric, maturing in 2038.
Western Electric Utility Company faces increasing needs for capital. Fortunately, it has an A (low) credit rating. The corporate tax rate is 30 percent. Western’s treasurer is trying to determine the corporation’s current weighted average cost of capital to assess the profitability of capital budgeting projects. Historically, the corporation’s earnings and dividends per share have increased at about a 6.0 percent annual rate.
Western Electric’s common stock is selling at $60 per share, and the company will pay a $4.50 per share dividend (D1). The company’s $100
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Data on Bond Issues
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| Issue | Rating |
Price | Yield to Maturity |
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| Utilities: | ||||||
| Valnet 6.17,2037 | BBB (high) | 122.16 | 4.32 | |||
| Transcanada 6.65 2038 | A (low) | 154.69 | 4.20 | |||
| West Coast Energy 6.03 2039 | A (high) | 117.30 | 3.66 | |||
| Industrials: | ||||||
| Manulife Financial 5.90 2036 | BBB | 120.38 | 4.31 | |||
| Dillard's Departmental Store 5.39 2037 | A(low) | 115.08 | 4.26 | |||
Compute the weighted average cost of capital. (Input your answer as a percent rounded to 2 decimal places.)
| Weighted Cost | |
| Debt (Kd) | % |
| Preferred stock (Kp) | % |
| Common equity (Ke) | % |
| Weighted average cost of capital (Ka) | % |
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