Concept explainers
Integrated Waveguide Technologies (IWT) is a 6-year-old company founded by Hunt Jackson and David Smithfield to exploit metamaterial plasmonic technology to develop and manufacture miniature microwave frequency directional transmitters and receivers for use in mobile Internet and communications applications. IWT’s technology, although highly advanced, is relatively inexpensive to implement, and its patented manufacturing techniques require little capital as compared to many electronics fabrication ventures. Because of the low capital requirement, Jackson and Smithfield have been able to avoid issuing new stock and thus own all of the shares. Because of the explosion in demand for its mobile Internet applications, IWT must now access outside equity capital to fund its growth, and Jackson and Smithfield have decided to take the company public. Until now, Jackson and Smithfield have paid themselves reasonable salaries but routinely reinvested all after-tax earnings in the firm, so dividend policy has not been an issue. However, before talking with potential outside investors, they must decide on a dividend policy.
Your new boss at the consulting firm Flick and Associates, which has been retained to help IWT prepare for its public offering, has asked you to make a presentation to Jackson and Smithfield in which you review the theory of dividend policy and discuss the following issues.
- (1) What is meant by the term “distribution policy”? How has the mix of dividend payouts and stock repurchases changed over time?
- (2) The terms “irrelevance,” “dividend preference” (or “bird-in-the-hand”), and “tax effect” have been used to describe three major theories regarding the way dividend payouts affect a firm’s value. Explain these terms, and briefly describe each theory.
- (3) What do the three theories indicate regarding the actions management should take with respect to dividend payouts?
- (4) What results have empirical studies of the dividend theories produced? How does all this affect what we can tell managers about dividend payouts?
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Chapter 14 Solutions
EBK FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: THEORY & PRAC
- Coast Corporation's research and development department has a a project to develop a new product which is expected to be very profitable. However, this very expensive product requires approval from the company's controller, J.Davis. Since the corporate profits have been decreasing lately, Davis hesitates to approve a project that will incur significant expenses that cannot be capitalized. To overcome this problem, he's thinking about hiring a firm to develop this product and purchasing the patent of the product from this firm. w wwn wwwww Required: a. Why doesn't Davis prefer producing the product internally, and what are the ethical issues in this situation. b. What would you do if you were in Davis's place? ww n ww www wwwwarrow_forwardKunda and Sitwala Company is considering manufacturing special drill bits and other equipment for mining rigs. The proposed project is currently regarded as complementary to its other lines of business, and the company has certain expertise by virtue of its having a large mechanical engineering staff. Because of the large outlays required to get into the business, management is concerned that Kunda and Sitwala earn a proper return. Since the new venture is believed to be sufficiently different from the company’s existing operations, management feels that a required rate of return other than the company’s present one should be employed. The financial manager’s staff has identified several companies (with capital structures similar to that of Kunda and Sitwala) engaged solely in the manufacture and sale of mining drilling equipment whose common stocks are publicly traded. Over the last five years, the median average beta of these companies has been 1.28. The staff believes that 18…arrow_forwardc. Courteney-Cox, Inc., is a Texas-based manufacturer and distributor of components and replacement parts for the auto, machinery, farm, and construction equipment industries. The company is presently funding a program of capital investment that is necessary to reduce production costs and thereby meet an onslaught of competition from low-cost suppliers located in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Courteney-Cox has a limited amount of capital available and must carefully weigh both the risks and potential rewards associated with alternative investments. In particular, the company seeks to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a new investment project, project X, in light of two other recently adopted investment projects, project Y and project Z: Per Year Project X $10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 PV of Cash Flow @ 5% Investment Outlay in 2000: Calculate the minimum certainty equivalent…arrow_forward
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