Capital structure is a mixture of debt and equity, this decision is very important for a company as it is a cost for the company because it is borrowed money. This decision is very critical for the company because of different tax implications of debt equity and also the effect of corporate taxes on the profitability and revenues of the firm. Firms must be careful in their borrowing activities in order to avoid financial distress, excessive risk and even bankruptcy.
A firm's debt/equity ratio also effect the firm's borrowing costs and reduces its’ value to shareholders. The debt/equity ratio also measures the company's financial leverage by dividing company’s’ total liabilities by stockholders' equity. It tells that how much proportion of equity and debt has the company used to finance its assets. In the financing decision a company has to decide its capital structure. Here the debt & equity ratio is decided.
The capital structure decision or a financing decision shown on the left side indicates Liabilities on the balance sheet while investment decision shown on the right side indicates Assets on the balance sheet. The capital structure shows the relative relationship between debt & equity. Capital structure does not have much impact on the earnings of firms but it surely affects the share of Earning attainable for the equity share holders
OPTIMAL CAPITAL STRUCTURE
The optimal capital structure indicates the best debt-to-equity ratio for a firm that maximizes its value. i.e, the optimal capital structure for a company is the one which proffers a balance between the idyllic debt-to-equity ranges thus minimizing the firm’s cost of capital. Theoretically, debt financing usually proffers the lowest cost of capital because of it...
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...ge cost of capital (WACC) is minimized the maximizes the value of the firm increases. This means that optimal capital structure for the firm is that which minimizes WACC.
The capital structure of a firm shows how it finances its operations and grows by using distinctive sources of funds. Debt for a company comes in the form of bonds issued or long-term notes payable, on the other hand equity is sorted as common stock, preferred stock and retained earnings. Short-term debt for example working capital requirements are also considered to be a part of a capital structure. When capital structure of a firm is talked off, it is understood that they are referring to a firm's debt/equity ratio, which provides understanding about how risky a company is. Usually a company which is more heavily financed by using debt poses more risk, as the firm is relatively highly levered.
Balance sheet lists assets, liabilities and owner’s equity. The assets listed on the balance sheet are acquired either by debt (liabilities) or equity. “Companies that use more debt than equity to finance assets have a high leverage ratio and an aggressive capital structure. A company that pays for assets with more equity than debt has a low leverage ratio and a conservative capital structure. That said, a high leverage ratio and/or an aggressive capital structure can also lead
The WACC is basically computed by the sum of multiplying the costs per component to its respective proportional weight (how much that company uses a certain cost of capital) [See Appendix 1]. As financial management is focused on the maximization of the stock price, an optimal structure of costs based on these three factors is needed.
Based on the optimal capital structure analysis, they should pursue as 70% debt proportion, which will give them the lowest cost of capital at 11.58%. Currently Star has no debt in their capital structure, so these new projects should begin to add debt to the company. However, no matter what debt and equity proportions are chosen for each project, the discount rate of 11.58% should be used, as the capital budgeting decisions should be independ...
Their poor financial performance required them to use less traditional instruments to obtain financing. The capital acquired supported their growth until they reached a level of profitability in 1978. Subsequently, they continued to increase their net income and the quality of their balance sheet. With continued prospects for growth tempered by some regulatory uncertainty, they need to determine their optimal financial structure for the future. CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS MCI's capital requirements for the next 3 years are x,y and z. See Exhibit A for more information.
The consistent high spending of capital equipment is the first reason why one would recommend reducing the debt to equity ratio. A company with higher levels of debt is less flexible in being able to adjust to new market demands and conditions that require the company to make new products or respond to competition. Looking at the pecking order of financing, issuing new shares to fund capital investing is the last resort and a company that has high levels of debt, must move to the equity side to avoid the risk of bankruptcy. Defaulting on loans occur when increased costs or bad economic conditions lead the firm to have lower net income than the payments on loans. The risk of defaulting on loans and the direct and indirect cost related to defaulting lead firms to prefer lower levels of debt. The financial distress caused by additional leverage can lead to lower cash flows available to all investors, lower than if the firm was financed by equity only. Additionally, the high debt ratio that Du Pont incurred also led to them dropping from a AAA bond rating to a AA bond Rating. Although the likelihood of not being able to acquire loans would be minimal, there are increased interest costs with having a lower bond rating. The lower bond rating signals to investors that the firm is more likely to default than if it had a higher (AAA) bond rating.
There is no universal theory of the debt-equity choice, and no reason to expect one. In this essay I will critically assess the Pecking Order Theory of capital structure with reference and comparison of publicly listed companies. The pecking order theory says that the firm will borrow, rather than issuing equity, when internal cash flow is not sufficient to fund capital expenditures. This theory explains why firms prefer internal rather than external financing which is due to adverse selection, asymmetry of information, and agency costs (Frank & Goyal, 2003). The trade-off theory comes from the pecking order theory it is an unintentional outcome of companies following the pecking-order theory. This explains that firms strive to achieve an optimal capital structure by using a mixture debt and equity known to act as an advantage leverage. Modigliani and Miller (1958) showed that the decisions firms make when choosing between debt and equity financing has no material effects on the value of the firm or on the cost or availability of capital. They assumed perfect and frictionless capital markets, in which financial innovation would quickly extinguish any deviation from their predicted equilibrium.
Apple’s debt to equity ratio is not very high compared to the industry average of 2.23. The Debt to Equity Ratio of 2014 is 1.08, in which the normal ratio should be less than 1. This ratio of 1.08 shows that the company is financing more assets with debt than equity. In spite
Assessing the capital structure of any firm is important for investors attempting to determine if...
Thesis: Businesses deem financing necessary when they are just beginning, expanding, or recovering; Debt financing and equity financing have many advantages and disadvantages but also change the entire accounting method that is to be considered while running the business. Debt financing has both advantages and disadvantages. Debt financing is a business’ way to start up, expand, or recover by borrowing money from a person or company. The money borrowed has to be paid back along with the interest that was accrued during the length of time the loan was carried out. This option is great for company’s that do not want investors.
Finding the perfect capital structure in terms of risk and reward can ensure a company meets shareholder expectations and protects a firm in times of recession. Capital structure refers to how a business puts its money to “work”. The two forms of capital structure are equity capital and debt capital. Both have their benefits and limitations. Striking that perfect balance between the two can mean the difference between thriving versus trying to survive.
Ratios traditionally measure the most important factors such as liquidity, solvency and profitability, as well as other measures of solvency. Different studies have found various ratios to be the most efficient indicators of solvency. Studies of ratio analysis began in the 1930’s, with several studies of the concluding that firms with the potential to file bankruptcy all exhibited different ratios than those companies that were financially sound.
The capital structure decisions for Target Inc. are significant since the profitability of the firm is specifically influenced by this decision. Profit maximization is part of the wealth creation process and wealth maximization can be a lengthy process for financial managers. Profits affect the value of the firm and it is expressed in the value of stock. Cost of capital is how investors evaluate weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Capital structure ratios help investors gauge the level of risk that a company is taking on through financing. While Target
...o of debt to equity (the optimal capital structure) that minimizes the cost of capital, and maximizes the value of the firm and shareholder’s wealth.
Research on the Sources of Finance for a Business Firms sometimes need to raise finance for Working Capital and Capital Expenditure. Explain what each is and give examples. · Working Capital (or Revenue Expenditure) The working capital is made up of the current assets net of the current liabilities. It is vital to a business to have sufficient working capital to meet all its requirements. Many businesses have gone under, not because they were unprofitable, but because they suffered from shortages of working capital.
The capital structure of a firm is the way in which it decides to finance its operations from various funds, comprising debt, such as bonds and outstanding loans, and equity, including stock and retained earnings. In the long term, firms seek to find the optimal debt-equity ratio. This essay will explore the advantages and disadvantages of different capital structure mixes, and consider whether this has any relevance to firm value in theory and in reality.