A very low-risk stock just paid its semi-annual dividend of $0.14, as it has for the last 5 years. You conservatively estimate that from now on the dividend will fall at a rate of 1% every 6 months.
If the stock currently sells for $3 per share, what must be its required total return as an effective annual rate?
If risk free government bonds are trading at a yield of 4% pa, given as an effective annual rate, would you consider buying or selling the stock?
The stock's required total return is:
Question 241 Miller and Modigliani, leverage, payout policy, diversification, NPV
One of Miller and Modigliani's (M&M's) important insights is that a firm's managers should not try to achieve a particular level of leverage in a world with zero taxes and perfect information since investors can make their own leverage. Therefore corporate capital structure policy is irrelevant since investors can achieve their own desired leverage at the personal level by borrowing or lending on their own.
This principal of 'home-made' or 'do-it-yourself' leverage can also be applied to other topics. Read the following statements to decide which are true:
(I) Payout policy: a firm's managers should not try to achieve a particular pattern of equity payout.
(II) Agency costs: a firm's managers should not try to minimise agency costs.
(III) Diversification: a firm's managers should not try to diversify across industries.
(IV) Shareholder wealth: a firm's managers should not try to maximise shareholders' wealth.
Which of the above statement(s) are true?
Which business structure or structures have the advantage of limited liability for equity investors?
High risk firms in danger of bankruptcy tend to have:
What is the covariance of a variable X with itself?
The cov(X, X) or ##\sigma_{X,X}## equals:
A Chinese man wishes to convert AUD 1 million into Chinese Renminbi (RMB, also called the Yuan (CNY)). The exchange rate is 6.35 RMB per USD, and 0.72 USD per AUD. How much is the AUD 1 million worth in RMB?
An investor owns a portfolio with:
- 80% invested in stock A; and
- 20% invested in stock B.
Today there was a:
- 10% rise in stock A's price; and
- No change in stock B's price.
No dividends were paid on either stock. What was the total historical portfolio return on this day? All returns above and answer options below are given as effective daily rates.
Which one of the following businesses is likely to be a public company in Australia, judging by its name?
You are an equities analyst trying to value the equity of the Australian supermarket conglomerate Woolworths, with ticker WOW. In Australia, listed companies like Woolworths tend to pay dividends every 6 months. The payment around September is the final dividend and the payment around March is called the interim dividend. Both occur annually.
- Today is mid-November 2018.
- WOW's last final dividend of $0.50 was two months ago in mid-September 2018.
- WOW's last interim dividend of $0.43 was eight months ago in mid-March 2018.
- Judging by the dividend history and WOW's prospects, you judge that the growth rate in the dividends will be 3% pa forever.
- Assume that WOW's total cost of equity is 6.5% pa. All rates are quoted as nominal effective rates.
- The dividends are nominal cash flows and the inflation rate is 2.5% pa.
What should be the current share price of WOW?