When a firm grows, it needs capital, and that capital can come from debt or equity. Debt has two important advantages. First, interest paid on Debt is tax deductible to the corporation. This effectively reduces the debt’s effective cost. Second, debt holders get a fixed return so stockholders do not have to share their profits if the business is extremely successful. Debt has disadvantages as well, the higher the debt ratio, the riskier the company, hence higher the cost of debt as well as equity. If the company suffers financial hardships and the operating income is not sufficient to cover interest charges, its stockholders will have to make up for the shortfall and if they cannot, bankruptcy will result. Debt can be an obstacle that blocks a company from seeing better times even if they are a couple of quarters away. Capital structure policy is a trade-off between risk and return: · Using debt raises the risk borne by stock holders · Using more debt generally leads to a higher expected rate on equity. There are four primary factors influence capital structure decisions: · Business risk, or the riskiness inherent in the firm’s operations, if it uses no debt. The greater the firm’s business risk, the lower its optimal debt ratio. · The firm’s tax position. A major reason for using debt is that interest is tax deductible, which lowers the effective cost of debt. However if most of a firm’s income is already sheltered from taxes by depreciation tax shields, by interest on currently outstanding debt, or by tax loss carry forwards, its tax rate will already be low, so additional debt will not be as advantageous as it would be to a firm with a higher effective tax rate. · Financial flexibility or the ability to raise capital on reasonable terms under adverse conditions. Corporate treasurers know that a steady supply of capital is necessary for stable operations, which is vital for long-run success. They also know that when money is tight in the economy, or when a firm is experiencing operating difficulties, suppliers of capital prefer to provide funds to companies with strong balance sheets. Therefore, both the potential future need for funds and the consequences of a funds shortage influence the target capital struct... ... middle of paper ... ...p; 1,701,744 668,391 Total Value 1,701,744 2,234,077 Total per share = (Total Value)/(No. of Shares) 60.50 79.43 Before re-capitalization, the weight of debt of the Kopper’s firm is around 9.1% (172,409 / 1,889,153) and the share price is $60.50. Issuing a debt of $1,738,095,000 has changed the capital structure of the firm and the new weight of Debt is 71.8% (1,738,095 / 2,421,486). Though, the share price has decreased to $23.76 after re-capitalization, shareholders have a cash flow of $79.43 due to the dividend of $55.67 (79.43 - 23.76) paid out. Share Price before Re-capitalization $60.50 New Share Price after Re-capitalization (SP) $23.76 Number of Shares (N) 28,128 Value of Dividend Paid Out (D) $1,565,686 Dividend Distributed per share (Div/share = D/N) $55.67 Total Value to Shareholder (SP + Div/Share) $79.43
Net working capital represents organization’s operating liquidity. In order to compute the net working capital, total current assets are divided from total current liabilities. When there is sufficient excess of current assets over current liabilities, an organization might be considered sufficiently liquid. Another ratio that helps in assessing the operating liquidity of as company is a current ratio. The ratio is calculated by dividing the total current assets over total current liabilities. When the current ratio is high, the organization has enough of current assets to pay for the liabilities. Yet, another mean of calculating the organization’s debt-paying ability is the debt ratio. To calculate the ratio, total liabilities are divided by total assets. The computation gives information on what proportion of organization’s assets is financed by a debt, and what is the entity’s ability to pay for current and long term liabilities. Lower debt ratio is better, because the low liabilities require low debt payments. To be able to lend money, an organization’s current ratio has to fall above a certain level, also the debt ratio cannot rise above a certain threshold. Otherwise, the entity will not be able to lend money or will have to pay high penalties. The following steps can be undertaken by a company to keep the debt ratio within normal
DuPont has been known for its low reliance on borrowings. In the 1970’s, the company had to assume a substantial portion of debt of Conoco, a newly acquired company. In 1983, the managers have to decide about the future optimal target debt ratio. Should the company continue to keep about 40% of its assets financed via debt or should it strive to lower its borrowings to 25%?
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.
Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.
For most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. But only a small number of the 35 million persons classified as "poor" by the Census Bureau fit that description. While real material hardship certainly does occur, it is limited in scope and severity. Most of America's "poor" live in material conditions that would be judged as comfortable or well-off just a few generations ago. Today, the expenditures per person of the lowest-income one-fifth (or quintile) of households equal those of the median American household in the early 1970s, after adjusting for inflation.1
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.
The United States of America is known around the world as a country that prides itself on its reputation as a place of equal opportunity. It is a shining light of diversity and hope for people that want to come over and make a new life for themselves and their families. The idea that people are coming to America to fulfill the "American Dream" was started because people thought America would give them more opportunities to advance in their life. However, the dream of America is so different from the reality. Many communities in the United States are impacted by poverty, and it is an issue that no one in power can agree on a solution to. Poverty has been sustained throughout the history of America because the conditions that lead people to being impoverished have not been addressed or changed. The past decade especially shows the widening gap between rich and poor in the United States, and despite the proof that people are losing the chance for upward mobility, no changes have been made. he characteristics that lead to prolonged poverty in the United States are race, gender, and the environmental conditions of the impoverished neighborhoods
Poverty is still a huge problem that millions of people face in 2016. The U.S is one of the many victims that face this problem even though it’s a stage 4 country unlike some foreign countries who are in stage 2 or 3. The reason for this is because it’s really difficult to manage poverty once you’re there due to the high amount of repercussions it has. This makes poverty not escapable because of the cycle of poverty, conditions of rural areas, food deserts, health issues, gentrification, living costs, and the poverty line.
The decisions around capital structure lie with the managerial members of the firm, however, it is the debt holders and shareholders who are more prone to bear risk. The normal business risk is always present, but when there is a higher level of debt the equity holders also bear an additional financial risk as there are additional charges relating to the financing. There is also a risk that if future liquidation or bankruptcy was to occur, the creditor hierarchy would favour debt holders first.
Maintaining a company’s financial assets is a daunting task. Cash management techniques and short-term financing provide accounting executives with the tools needed to survive the constant changes within the economy. The combination of these tools and the knowledge of the world economy will assist companies in maintaining current assets and facilitates growth.
There are also a few cons in accounting for these instruments are either debt of equity. "Excessive debt financing may impair your (the company's) credit rating and your ability to raise more money in the future (Financing Basics, 1). If a company has too much debt, it could be considered too risky and unsafe for a creditor to lend money. Also with excessive debt, a business could have problems with business downturns, credit shortages, or interest rate increases. "Conversely, too much equity financing can indicate that you are not making the most productive use of your capital; the capital is not being used advantageously as leverage for obtaining cash" (Financing Basics, 1). A low amount of equity shows that the owne...
The most obvious disadvantage of debt financing is that you have to repay the loan, plus interest. Failure to do so exposes your property and assets to repossession by the bank. Debt financing is also borrowing against future earnings. This means that instead of using all future profits to grow the business or to pay owners, you have to allocate a portion to debt payments. Overuse of debt can severely limit future cash flow and stifle growth. Debt is a bet on your future ability to pay back the loan. What if your company hits hard times or the economy, once again, experiences a meltdown? What if your business does not grow as fast or as well as you expected? Debt is an expense and you have to pay expenses on a regular schedule. This cou...
Given that a firm's debt-equity ratio is used to measure the debt of a company which is relative to the value of the firm’s stock, this tool is often used to gauge the extent in which the firm takes on debts as a means of leveraging. An increase in the debt equity ratio means that a firm has been in an aggressive mode in making finances for its growth with debts. When there are aggressive leveraging practices, it means that the firm is associated with high levels of
The debt ratios increased by 2.7% to 57% more than double the industry standard of 24.5%. The long term debt increased from $700,000 to $ 1,165,250 an increment of 66.5% in the year 2002. The company is currently highly leveraged thus it needs to work on reducing long term debts and continue to increase assets. The times interest earned ratio dropped by 0.3 to 1.6 in the year 2003. The company could face difficulties making interest payments in case of a sales slump.