A financial services company reported the following results in its most recent accounting period:
The company has an objective to achieve 5% earnings growth each year. The directors are discussing how this objective might be achieved next year.
Revenues have been flat over the last couple of years as the company has faced difficult trading conditions. Revenue is expected to stay constant in the coming year and so the directors are focussing efforts on reducing costs in an attempt to achieve earnings growth next year.
Interest costs will not change because the company's borrowings are subject to a fixed rate of interest.
What operating profit margin will the company have to achieve next year in order to just achieve its 5% earnings growth objective'?
WX, an advertising agency, has just completed the all-cash acquisition of a competitor, YZ. This was seen by the market as a positive strategic move byWX.
Which THREE of the following will WX's shareholders expect the company's directors to prioritise following the acquisition?
G pic wishes to borrow $5 million in 6 months, for a period of 3 months. A bank has quoted the following Forward Rate Agreement (FRA) rales:
3 v 9 6.55%-6.70% 6v9 6.70%-6 90%.
G pic can borrow at 0 75% above base rate, and the base rate is currently 6.25% Concerned that base rates may rise, G pic decides that it will hedge using an FRA
At the settlement date for the FRA, the base rate has risen to 7.50%
What is the effective interest rate paid by G pic for its borrowing?
An all equity financed company reported earnings for the year ending 31 December 20X1 of $5 million.
One of its financial objectives is to increase earnings by 5% each year.
In the year ending 31 December 20X2 it financed a project by issuing a bond with a $1 million nominal value and a coupon rate of 7%.
The company pays corporate income tax at 30%.
If the company is to achieve its earnings target for the year ending 31 December 20X2, what is the minimum operating profit (profit before interest and tax) that it must achieve?
Company ABC's management has noticed that Company BCD has quickly built up a 20% stake by buying shares in Company ABC and are concerned that this is the start of a hostile bid.
This build-up of shares triggers the poison pill provision which automatically converts the rights to buy future preference shares previously issued to existing shareholders in Company ABC to full ordinary shares
What is the most likely impact of the triggering of a poison pill strategy at this stage in the bidding process?
Company AAB is located in country A whose currency is the AS It has a subsidiary, BBA, located m country B that has the BS as its currency AAB has asked BBA to pay BS40 million surplus funds to AAB to assist with a planned new capital investment in country A The exchange rate today is AS1 = BS3
Tax regimes
• Company BBA pays withholding tax of 25% on all cash remitted to the parent company
• Company AAB pays tax of 10% on at cash received from its subsidiary
How much will company AAB have available for investment after receiving the surplus funds from BBA?
A company based in Country A with the A$ as its functional currency requires A$500 million 20-year debt finance to finance a long-term investment The company has a high credit rating, but has not previously issued corporate bonds which are listed on the stock exchange Which THREE of the following are advantages of issuing 20 year bonds compared with simply borrowing for a 20 year period?
A company has forecast the following results for the next financial year:
The following is also relevant:
• Profit after tax for the year can be assumed to be equivalent to free cash flow for the year.
• Debt finance comprises a $10 million floating rate loan which currently carries an interest rate of 5%.
• $400,000 investment in non-current assets is required to achieve required growth, all of which is to financed from next year's free cash flow.
• The company plans to pay a dividend of $150,000 next year, financed from next year's free cash flow.
The company is concerned that interest rates could rise next year to 6% which could then affect their investment plans.
If interest rates were to rise to 6% and the company wishes to maintain its dividend amount, the planned investment expenditure will decrease by:
A company is planning a share repurchase programme with the following details:
• Repurchased shares will be immediately cancelled.
• The shares will be purchased at a premium to the market share price.
The current market share price is greater than the nominal value of the shares.
Which of the following statements about the impact of the share repurchase programme on the company's financial statements is correct?
XYZ has a variable rate loan of $200 million on which it is paying interest of Liber ‘3%.
XYZ entered into a swap with AG bank to convert this to a fixed rate 8% loan. AB bank charges an annual commission of 0.4% for making this arrangement
Calculate the net payment from KYZ to AB bank at the end of the first year if Libor was 2% throughout the year.
Give your answer in $ million, to one decimal place.
A profit-seeking company intends to acquire another company for a variety of reasons, primarily to enhance shareholder wealth.
Which THREE of the following offer the greatest potential for enhancing shareholder wealth?
A company's current earnings before interest and taxation are $5 million.
These are expected to remain constant for the forseeable future.
The company has 10 million shares in issue which currently trade at $3.60.
It also has a $10 million long term floating rate loan.
The current interest rate on this loan is 5%.
The company pays tax at 20%.
The company expects interest rates to increase next year to 6% and it's Price/Earnings (P/E) ratio to move to 9.5 times by the end of next year.
What percentage reduction in the share price will occur by the end of next year if the interest rate increase and the P/E movement both occur?
A company has recently announced a scrip issue of 1 new share for every 4 existing shares. The market value of each share price before the announcement was $20.00.
What is the best estimate of the share price after the scrip issue ignoring all other influences on the share price?
Company MB is in negotiations to acquire the entire share capital of Company BBA. Information about each company is as follows:
It is expected that Company BBA's profit before interest and tax will be $30 million in each of the two years after acquisition. Company AAB is considering how best to structure the offer Company AAB's discount factor and appropriate cost of equity for use in valuing Company BBA is 10%
Shareholders taxation implications should be ignored
Which of the following provides the shareholders of Company BBA with the highest offer price?
Two unlisted companies TTT and YYY are being valued. The companies have similar capital structures and risk profiles and operate in the same industry sector It is easier to value TTT than to value YYY because there have recently been several well-publicised private sales of TTT shares.
Relevant company data:
What is the best estimate of YYY's share price?
A company has a covenant on its 5% long-term bond, stipulating that its retained earnings must not fall below $2 million.
The company has 100 million shares in issue.
Its most recent dividend was $0.045 per share. It has committed to grow the dividend per share by 4% each year.
The nominal value of the bond is $60 million. It is currently trading at 80% of its nominal value.
Next year's earnings before interest and taxation are projected to be $11.25 million.
The rate of corporate tax is 20%.
If the company increases the dividend by 4%, advise the Board of Directors if the level of retained earnings will comply with the covenant?
A company has undertaken a transaction with its shareholders which has had the following impact on its financial statements:
• Retained earnings has decreased
• Share capital has increased
• Earnings per share has decreased
• The book value of equity is unchanged
The company has undertaken a:
A listed company is planning a share repurchase.
The following data applies:
• There are 10 million shares in issue
• The share repurchase will involve buying back 20% of the shares at a price of $0.75
• The company is holding $2 million cash
• Earnings for the current year ended are $2 million
The Directors are concerned about the impact that this repurchase programme will have on the company's cash balance and current year earnings per share (EPS) ratio.
Advise the directors which of the following statements is correct?
Company A has made an offer to take over all the shares in Company B on the following terms:
• For every 20 shares currently held, Company B's shareholders will receive $100 bond with a coupon rate of 3%
• The bond will be repaid in 10 years' time at its par value of $100.
• The current yield on 10 year bonds of similar risk is 6%.
What is the effective offer price per share being made to Company B's shareholders?
A company is planning a new share issue.
The funds raised will be used to repay debt on which it is currently paying a high interest rate.
Operating profit and dividends are expected to remain unchanged in the near future.
If the share issue is implemented, which THREE of the following are most likely to increase?
Company X plans to acquire Company Y.
Pre-acquisition information:
Post-acquisition information:
Total combined earnings are expected to increase by 10%
Total combined P/E multiple will remain at 10 times
Which of the following share-for-share exchanges will result in an increase of 10% in Company X's share price post-acquisition?
A company currently has a 6.25% fixed rate loan but it wishes to change the interest style of the loan to variable by using an interest rate swap directly with the bank.
The bank has quoted the following swap rate:
• 5.50% - 5.55% in exchange for LIBOR
LIBOR is currently 5%.
If the company enters into the swap and LIBOR remains at 5%, what will the company's interest cost be?
Company F's current profit before interest and taxation is $5.0 million.
It has a 10% long-term corporate bond in issue with a nominal value of $10 million.
Corporate tax is paid at 25%.
The industry average P/E multiple is 10.
Company X has made an approach to acquire the entire share capital of Company F for $30 million.
Company X has announced that anticipated synergies (after interest and taxation) arising from its acquisition of Company F will be $1 million each year in perpetuity.
Advise the Board of Directors of Company F if the bid should be accepted, based on the above information?
A company has convertible bonds in issue.
The following debt is apply (31 December 20X0):
• Conversion ratio- 20 shares for each $130 bond.
• Current share price - $4 50
• Expected annual growth in share price - 5%
Advise the bond Holder at which date the convers on would be worthwhile?
A product costs USD10 when purchased in the USA. The same product costs USD12 when it is purchased in the UK and the price in GBP is convened to USD.
Which of the following statement concerning purchasing power parity is correct?
A listed company has recently announced a profit warning.
The company's share price fell 20% on the day of the announcement but had been fairly static in the weeks leading up to the announcement.
Which form of efficient market is most likely to be indicated by this share price movement?
Company A is planning to acquire Company B.
Company A's managers think they can improve the performance of Company B to the extent that its own P/E ratio should be applied to Company B's earnings.
Relevant Data:
What is the expected synergy if the acquisition goes ahead?
Give your answer to the nearest $ million.
$ ? million
A company’s statement of financial position includes non-current assets which are leased, the tax regime follows the accounting treatment.
Which cash flows should be discounted when evaluating the cost of lease finance?
A company's dividend policy is to pay out 50% of its earnings.
Its most recent earnings per share was $0.50, and it has just paid a dividend per share of $0.25.
Currently, dividends are forecast to grow at 2% each year in perpetuity and the cost of equity is 10.5%.
In order to grow its earnings and dividends, the company is considering undertaking a new investment funded entirely by debt finance. If the investment is undertaken:
• Its cost of equity will immediately increase to 12% due to the increased finance risk.
• Its earnings and dividends will immediately commence growing at 4% each year in perpetuity.
Which of the following is the expected percentage change in the share price if the new investment is undertaken?
ADC is planning to acquire DEF in order to benefit from the expertise of DEF's owner ‘managers Both are Listed companies. ADC is trying to decide whether to offer cash or shares in consideration for DEF's shares.
Which THREE of the following are advantages to ABC of offering shares to acquire CEF?
A consultancy company is dependent for profits and growth on the high value individuals it employs.
The company has relatively few tangible assets.
Select the most appropriate reason for the net asset valuation method being considered unsuitable for such a company.
A company's gearing (measured as debt/(debt + equity)) is currently 60% and it is investigating whether an optimal gearing structure exists within the industry.
It has analysed the capital structure of similar companies in the industry and it would appear that there is evidence supporting the traditional theory of capital structure.
Companies with the lowest WACC in the industry have gearing of around 45% to 50%.
Which of the following actions would result in the company achieving a more optimal capital structure?
A company plans to raise $12 million to finance an expansion project using a rights issue.
Relevant data:
• Shares will be offered at a 20% discount to the present market price of $15.00 per share.
• There are currently 2 million shares in issue.
• The project is forecast to yield a positive NPV of $6 million.
What is the yield-adjusted Theoretical Ex-Rights Price following the announcement of the rights issue?
If a company's bonds are currently yielding 8% in the marketplace, why would the entity's cost of debt be lower than this?
A venture capitalist invests in a company by means of buying:
• 9 million shares for $2 a share and
• 8% bonds with a nominal value of $2 million, repayable at par in 3 years' time.
The venture capitalist expects a return on the equity portion of the investment of at least 20% a year on a compound basis over the first 3 years of the investment.
The company has 10 million shares in issue.
What is the minimum total equity value for the company in 3 years' time required to satisify the venture capitalist's expected return?
Give your answer to the nearest $ million.
$ million.
A manufacturing company is based in Country L whose currency is the L$.
One of the company's products is exported to Country M, a rapidly growing economy, whose currency is the M$.
In the most recent financial year:
• 100,000 units of the product were sold to customers in country M
• The unit selling price was M$12
The spot rate today is L$1 = M$5
The company has an objective of growth in total sales value in L$ of 10% a year.
If the L$ strengthens by 5% next year against the M$, what volume of sales of this product is needed next year to achieve the objective?
A company's Board of Directors is assessing the likely impact of financing new projects by using either debt or equity finance.
The impact of using debt or equity finance on some key variables is uncertain.
Which THREE of the following statements are true?
XCV can borrow at either 9.5% fixed or the risk-free rate plus 1.3%.
XCV wishes to borrow at a variable rate and thinks that a swap may enable it to do so cheaply
BNM can borrow the same principal sum as XCV It can borrow at 10 5% fixed or the risk-free rate plus 2 1 % BNM wishes to raise fixed rate debt
XCV and BNM have agreed to use an interest rate swap They will share any savings equally
Calculate the effective swap rate that will be paid by XCV.
Give your answer to one decimal place.
On 1 January 20X1, a company had:
• Cost of equity of 10 0%.
• Cost of debt of 5.0%
• Debt of $100Mmilion
• 100 million $1 shares trading at $4.00 each.
On 1 February 20X1:
• The company's share police fell to $3.00.
• Debt and the cost of debt remained unchanged
The company does not pay tax.
Under Modigliani and Miller's theory without lax. what is the best estimate of the movement in the cost of equity as a result of the fall in ne share price?
A large, listed company in the food and household goods industry needs to raise $50 million for a period of up to 6 months.
It has an excellent credit rating and there is almost no risk of the company defaulting on the borrowings. The company already has a commercial paper programme in place and has a good relationship with its bank.
Which of the following is likely to be the most cost effective method of borrowing the money?
The Treasurer of Z intends to use interest rate options to set an interest rate cap on Z’s borrowings.
Which of the following statement is correct?
A listed company is considering either a one-off special divided or a share repurchase scheme to reduce its surplus cash level.
Identify TWO advantages that a one-off special payment has over a share repurchase scheme.
HHH Company has a fixed rate loan at 10.0%, but wishes to swap to variable. It can borrow at the risk-free rate +8%. The bank is currently quoting swap rates of 3.1% (bid) and 3.5% (ask). What net rate will HHH Company pay if it enters into the swap?
A listed company has recently announced a profit warning.
The company's share price fell 20% on the day of the announcement but had been fairly static in the weeks leading up to the announcement.
Which form of efficient market is most likely to be indicated by this share price movement?
Company ADE is an unlisted company; it needs to raise a significant amount of finance to fund future expansion. The directors are considering listing the company on the local stock exchange The following discussions have taken place between some of the directors:
Director A - We consider a public issue of bonds in the capital markets, we don't need to list to issue the bonds which will save time and money.
Director B - We should list on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and not the main market to avoid any regulatory requirements
Director C - We should remain unlisted; we can access an unlimited amount of equity finance through a rights issue
Director D - Listing will increase Company ADE's ability to raise new equity and debt finance in the future.
Director E - If we list, Company ADE will be a more likely target for a takeover than if we remain unlisted.
Which TWO of the directors' statements are correct?
Company P is a pharmaceutical company listed on an alternative investment market.
The company is developing a new drug which it hopes to market in approximately six years' time.
Company P is owned and managed by a group of doctors who wish to retain control of the company. The company operates from leased laboratories with minimal fixed assets.
Its value comes from the quality of its research staff and their research.
The company currently has one approved drug which generates sufficient cashflow to cover day to day operations but not sufficient for major new research and development.
Company P wish to raise debt finance to develop the new drug.
Recommend which of the following types of debt finance would be most appropriate for Company P to help finance the development of this new drug.
A company based in the USA has a substantial fixed rate borrowing at an interest rate of 3.5% and wishes to swap a part of this to a floating rate to take advantage of reducing interest rates Its bank has quoted swap rates of 3 4%-3 5% against 12-month USD risk-free rate.
What is the overall interest rate achieved by the company under this borrowing plus swap combination?
A listed company in a high growth industry, where innovation is a key driver of success has always operated a residual dividend policy, resulting in volatility in dividends due to periodic significant investments in research and development.
The company has recently come under pressure from some investors to change its dividend policy so that shareholders receive a consistent growing dividend. In addition, they suggested that the company should use more debt finance.
If the suggested change is made to the financial policies, which THREE of the following statements are true?
Three companies are quoted on the New York Stock Exchange. The following data applies:
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Company A has a cash surplus.
The discount rate used for a typical project is the company's weighted average cost of capital of 10%.
No investment projects will be available for at least 2 years.
Which of the following is currently most likely to increase shareholder wealth in respect of the surplus cash?
A listed company has suffered a period of falling revenues and profit margins. It has been obliged to issue a profit warning to the market and its share price has fallen sharply. The company relies heavily on debt finance and is discussing with its banks possible refinancing options to assist with a restructuring programme.
Which THREE of the following are likely to be of MOST interest to the company's banks when they review the refinancing requests?
Company A has agreed to buy all the share capital of Company B.
The Board of Directors of Company A believes that the post-acquisition value of the expanded business can be computed using the "boot-strapping" concept.
Which of the following most accurately describes "boot-strapping" in this context?
H Company has a fixed rate load at 10.0%, but wishes to swap to variable. It can borrow at LIBOR 8%.
The bank is currently quoting swap rates of 3.1% (bid) and 3.5% (ask).
What net rate will HHH Company pay if it enters into the swap?
An unlisted company which is owned and managed by its original founders has accumulated excess cash following many years of profitable trading.
The Board of Directors is comprised of the four original founders who each hold 25% of the equity share capital.
Which THREE of the following will be significant considerations when deciding on the company's dividend policy?
A company has a 4% corporate bond in issue on which there are two loan covenants.
• Interest cover must not fall below 4 times
• Retained earnings for the year must not fall below S5 00 million
The Company has 100 million shares in issue. The most recent dividend per share was $0 10 The Company intends increasing dividends by 8% next year.
Financial projections tor next year are as follows:
Advise the Board of Directors which of the following will be the status of compliance with the loan covenants next year?
The table below shows the forecast for a company's next financial year:
The forecast incorporates the following assumptions:
• 25% of operating costs are variable
• Debt finance comprises a $400 million fixed rate loan at 5%
• Corporate income tax is paid at 25%
The company plans to do the following next year from the forecast earnings on the assumption that earnings will be equivalent to free cash flow:
• Pay a total dividend of $20 million
• Invest $40 million in new projects
What is the maximum % reduction in operating activity that could occur next year before the company's dividend and investment plans are affected?
Give your answer to the nearest 0.1%.
A company's main objective is to achieve an average growth in dividends of 10% a year.
In the most recent financial year:
Sales are expected to grow at 8% a year over the next 5 years.
Costs are expected to grow at 5% a year over the next 5 years.
What is the minimum dividend payout ratio in 5 years' time that would allow the company to achieve its objective?
A company with a market capitalisation of S50million is considering raising $1 million debt to fund a new 10-year capital investment protect
The value of this issue is considered to be small in comparison to the company's market capitalisation
The company is considering whether to raise the debt finance by either a "bond private placing' or a 'public bond issue.
Which THREE of the following statements are correct?
A company is based in Country Y whose functional currency is Y$. It has an investment in Country Z whose functional currency is Z$.
This year the company expects to generate Z$ 10 million profit after tax.
Tax Regime:
• Corporate income tax rate in country Y is 50%
• Corporate income tax rate in country Z is 20%
• Full double tax relief is available
Assume an exchange rate of Y$ 1 = Z$ 5.
What is the expected profit after tax in Y$ if the Z$ profit is remitted to Country Y?
Company A has a cash surplus.
The discount rate used for a typical project is the company's weighted average cost of capital of 10%.
No investment projects will be available for at least 2 years.
Which of the following is currently most likely to increase shareholder wealth in respect of the surplus cash?
STU has relatively few tangible assets and is dependent for profits and growth on the high-value individuals it employs. Which of the following statements best explains why the net asset valuator method’s considered unstable for TU?
Company ACC. an ungeared car manufacturer has launched a takeover bid of Company BDD. a key competitor operating in the same industry Company BDD has high gearing Company ACC has a large surplus cash balance and believes that the acquisition is an opportunity to enhance shareholder wealth through the realisation of synergistic benefits. Which THREE of the following would most likely be synergistic benefits to Company ACC of purchasing Company BDD9 I
A company is deciding whether to offer a scrip dividend or a cash dividend to its shareholders.
Although the company has excellent long-term growth prospects, it is experiencing short-term profit and cash flow problems.
Which of the following statements is most likely to be a reason for choosing the scrip dividend?
An unlisted company has the following data:
A listed company in the same industry has a P/E of 11.
The value of the unlisted company based on the P/E of this listed company is:
Give your answer to the nearest whole number.
The ex div share price of a company's shares is $2.20.
An investor in the company currently holds 1,000 shares.
The company plans to issue a scrip dividend of 1 new share for every 10 shares currently held.
After the scrip dividend, what will be the total wealth of the shareholder?
Give your answer to the nearest whole $.
$ ? .
A company is reporting under IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures for the first time and the directors are concerned about whether this will lead to the disclosure of information that could affect the company's share price.
The company is based in a country that uses the A$ but 40% of revenue relates to export sales to the USA and priced in US$.
When the company reports under IFRS 7 for the first time, the share price is most likely to:
The Board of Directors of Company T is considering a rights issue to fund a new investment opportunity which has a zero NPV.
The Board of Directors wishes to explain to shareholders what the theoretical impact on their wealth will be as a result of different possible actions during the rights issue.
Which THREE of the following statements in respect of theoretical shareholder wealth are true?
A company plans a four-year project which will be financed by either an operating lease or a bank loan.
Lease details:
• Four year lease contract.
• Annual lease rentals of $45,000, paid in advance on the 1st day of the year.
Other information:
• The interest rate payable on the bank borrowing is 10%.
• The capital cost of the project is $200,000 which would have to be paid at the beginning of the first year.
• A salvage or residual value of $100,000 is estimated at the end of the project's life.
• Purchased assets attract straight line tax depreciation allowances.
• Corporate income tax is 20% and is payable at the end of the year following the year to which it relates.
A lease-or-buy appraisal is shown below:
Which THREE of the following items are errors within the appraisal?
A company is concerned about the interest rate that it will be required to pay on a planned bond issue.
It is considering issuing bonds with warrants attached.
Advise the directors which of the following statements about warrants is NOT correct?
KKL is a listed sports clothing company with three separate business units. KKL is seeking to sell TT’, one of these business units
TTP cwns a new. brand of trail running shoes that have Droved hugely popular with lone distance runners. The management team of TTP are frustrated by the constraints imposes b/ KKL in managing tie brand and developing. the bus ness and they believe that TTF has huge growth potential.
The management team of TTP have approached KKL with a proposal to purchase 1~P through a management layout (MDO). KKL has accepted this proposal as TTP has not proved to be a good fit' with the rest of the business and has agreed on the selling price.
Which THREE of the following factors a-e mast Likely to affect the success of the MBO?
A company wishes to raise new finance using a rights issue. The following data applies:
• There are 20 million shares in issue with a market value of $6 each
• The terms of the rights will be 1 new share for 4 existing shares held
• After the rights issue, the theoretical ex-rights price (TERP) will be $5.75
Assuming all shareholders take up their rights, how much new finance will be raised ?
Give your answer to one decimal place.
$ ? million
A company needs to raise $40 million to finance a project. It has decided on a right issue at a discount of 20% to its current market share price.
There are currently 20 million shares in issue with a nominal value of $1 and a market price of $10.00 per share.
A company has:
• $6 million market value of equity
• $4 million market value of debt
• WACC of 11.04%
• Corporate income tax rate of 20%
According to Modigliani and Miller's theory of capital structure with tax, what is the ungeared cost of equity?
The primary objective of a public sector entity is to ensure value for money is generated.
Value for money is defined as performing an activity so as to simultaneously achieve economy, efficiency and effectiveness
Efficiency is defined as:
Company AB was established 6 years ago by two individuals who each own 50% of the shares.
Each individual heads a separate division within the company, which now has annual turnover of GBP10 million and employs 40 people.
Some of the employees are very highly paid as they are important contributors to the company's profitability.
The owners of the company wish to realise the full value of their investment within the next 12 months.
Which TWO of the following options are most likely to be acceptable exit strategies to the two owners of the company?
A private company manufactures goods for export, the goods are priced in foreign currency B$.
The company is partly owned by members of the founding family and partly by a venture capitalist who is helping to grow the business rapidly in preparation for a planned listing in three years' time.
The company therefore has significant long term exposure to the B$.
This exposure is hedged up to 24 months into the future based on highly probable forecast future revenue streams.
The company does not apply hedge accounting and this has led to high volatility in reported earnings.
Which of the following best explains why external consultants have recently advised the company to apply hedge accounting?
Company M is a listed company in a highly technical service industry.
The directors are considering making a cash offer for the shares in Company Q, an unquoted company in the same industry.
Relevant data about Company Q:
• The company has seen consistent growth in earnings each year since it was founded 10 years ago.
• It has relatively few non-current assets.
• Many of the employees are leading experts in their field. A recent exercise suggested that the value of the company's human capital exceeded the value of its tangible assets.
The directors and major shareholders of Company Q have indicated willingness to sell the company.
Before negotiations become too advanced, the directors of Company M are considering the benefits to their company that would follow the acquisition.
Which THREE of the following are the most likely benefits of the acquisition to Company M's shareholders?
An unlisted software development business is to be sold by its founders to a private equity house following the initial development of the software. The business has not yet made a profit but significantprofits are expected for the next three years with only negligible profits thereafter. The business owns the freehold of the property from which it operates. However, it is the industry norm to lease property.
Which THREE of the following are limitations to the validity of using the Calculated Intangible Value (CIV) method for this business?
PPA owns $500,000 of shares in Company ABB. Company ABB has a daily volatility of 2% of its share price
Calculate the 12-day value at risk that shows the most PPA can expect to lose during a 12-day period (PPA wishes to be 90% certain that the actual loss in any month will be less than your predicted figure)
Give your answer to the nearest thousand dollars.
On 1 January:
• Company ABB has a value of $55 million
• Company BBA has a value of $25 million
• Both companies are wholly equity financed
Company ABB plans to take over Company BBA by means of a share exchange Following the acquisition the post-tax cashflow of Company ABB for the foreseeable future is estimated to be $10 million each year The post-acquisition cost of equity is expected to be 10%
What is the best estimate of the value of the synergy that would arise from the acquisition?
An all equity financed company reported earnings for the year ending 31 December 20X1 of $8 million.
One of its financial objectives is to increase earnings by 5% each year.
In the year ending 31 December 20X2 it financed a project by issuing a bond with a $1 million nominal value and a coupon rate of 4%.
The company pays corporate income tax at 20%.
If the company is to achieve its earnings target for the year ending 31 December 20X2, what is the minimum operating profit (profit before interest and tax) that it must achieve?
Extracts from a company's profit forecast for the next financial year as follows:
Since preparing the forecast, the company has decided to return surplus cash to shareholders by a share repurchase arrangement.
The share repurchase would result in the company purchasing 20% of the 1,250 million ordinary shares currently in issue and canceling them.
Assuming the share repurchase went ahead, the impact on the company's forecast earnings per share will be an increase of:
A company has accumulated a significant amount of excess cash which is not required for investment for the foreseeable future.
It is currently on deposit, earning negligible returns.
The Board of Directors is considering returning this excess cash to shareholders using a share repurchase programme.
The majority of shareholders are individuals with small shareholdings.
Which THREE of the following are advantages of the company undertaking a share repurchase programme?
A company enters into a floating rate borrowing with interest due every 12 months over the five year life of the borrowing.
At the same time, the company arranges an interest rate swap to swap the interest profile on the borrowing from floating to fixed rate.
These transactions are designated as a hedge for hedge accounting purposes under IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.
Assuming the hedge is considered to be effective, how would the swap be accounted for 12 months later?
The directors of a financial services company need to calculate a valuation of their company’s equity in preparation for an upcoming initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares. At a recent board meeting they discussed the various methods of business valuation.
The Chief Executive suggested using a Price-earing (P./E) method of valuation, but the finance Director argued that a valuation based on forecast cash flows to equity would be more appropriate.
Which THREE of the following are advantages of valuation based on forecast cash flows to equity, compared to a valuating using a price earnings methods?
A wholly equity financed company has the following objectives:
1. Increase in profit before interest and tax by at least 10% per year.
2. Maintain a dividend payout ratio of 40% of earnings per year.
Relevant data:
• There are 2 million shares in issue.
• Profit before interest and tax in the last financial year was $4 million.
• The corporate income tax rate is 20%.
At the beginning of the current financial year, the company raised long term debt of $2 million at 5% interest each year.
Calculate the dividend per share that will be announced this year assuming the company achieves its objective of increasing profit before interest and tax by 10%.
Company YZZ has made a bid for the entire share capital of Company ZYY
Company YZZ is offering the shareholders in Company ZYY the option of either a share exchange or a cash alternative
Which THREE of the following would be considered disadvantages of accepting the cash consideration for the shareholders of Company ZYY?
Company ABC is planning to bid for company DDD, an unlisted company in an unrelated industry sector to ABC.
The directors of ABC are considering a number of different valuation methods for DDD before making a bid.
Which of the following is the MOST appropriate method for ABC to use to value DDD?
Z wishes to borrow at a floating rate and has been told that it can use swaps to reduce the effective interest rate it pays. Z can borrow floating at Libor ' 1, and fixed at 10%.
Which of the following companies would be the most appropriate for Z to enter into a swap with?
Which THREE of the following would be of most interest to lenders deciding whether to provide long-term debt to a company?
A listed company in a high growth industry, where innovation is a key driver of success has always operated a residual dividend policy, resulting in volatility in dividends due to periodic significant investments in research and development.
The company has recently come under pressure from some investors to change its dividend policy so that shareholders receive a consistent growing dividend. In addition, they suggested that the company should use more debt finance.
If the suggested change is made to the financial policies, which THREE of the following statements are true?
A company's Board of Directors is considering raising a long-term bank loan incorporating a number of covenants.
The Board members are unsure what loan covenants involve.
Which THREE of the following statements regarding loan covenants are true?
A venture capitalist invests in a company by means of buying:
• 9 million shares for $2 a share and
• 8% bonds with a nominal value of $2 million, repayable at par in 3 years' time.
The venture capitalist expects a return on the equity portion of the investment of at least 20% a year on a compound basis over the first 3 years of the investment.
The company has 10 million shares in issue.
What is the minimum total equity value for the company in 3 years' time required to satisify the venture capitalist's expected return?
Give your answer to the nearest $ million.
$ million.
A company plans to raise finance for a new project.
It is considering either the issue of a redeemable cumulative preference share or a Eurobond.
Advise the directors which of the following statements would justify the issue of preference shares over a bond?
Company M is a listed company in a highly technical service industry.
The directors are considering making a cash offer for the shares in Company Q, an unquoted company in the same industry.
Relevant data about Company Q:
• The company has seen consistent growth in earnings each year since it was founded 10 years ago.
• It has relatively few non-current assets.
• Many of the employees are leading experts in their field. A recent exercise suggested that the value of the company's human capital exceeded the value of its tangible assets.
The directors and major shareholders of Company Q have indicated willingness to sell the company.
Before negotiations become too advanced, the directors of Company M are considering the benefits to their company that would follow the acquisition.
Which THREE of the following are the most likely benefits of the acquisition to Company M's shareholders?
Companies A, B, C and D:
• are based in a country that uses the K$ as its currency.
• have an objective to grow operating profit year on year.
• have the same total levels of revenue and cost.
• trade with companies or individuals in the eurozone. All import and export trade with companies or individuals in the eurozone is priced in EUR.
Typical import/export trade for each company in a year are as follows:
Which company's growth objective is most sensitive to a movement in the EUR/K$ exchange rate?
A company wishes to raise additional debt finance and is assessing the impact this will have on key ratios.
The following data currently applies:
• Profit before interest and tax for the current year is $500,000
• Long term debt of $300,000 at a fixed interest rate of 5%
• 250,000 shares in issue with a share price of $8
The company plans to borrow an additional $200,000 on the first day of the year to invest in new project which will improve annual profit before interest and tax by $24,000.
The additional debt would carry an interest rate of 3%.
Assume the number of shares in issue remain constant but the share price will increase to $8.50 after the investment.
The rate of corporate income tax is 30%.
After the investment, which of the following statements is correct?
An analyst has valued a company using the free cash flow valuation model.
The analyst used the following data in determining the value:
• Estimated free cashflow in 1 year's time = $100,000
• Estimated growth in free cashflow after the first year = 5% each year indefinitely
• Appropriate cost of equity = 10%
The result produced by the analyst was as follows:
Value of equity = $100,000 (1+0.05)/0.10 = $1,050,000
The analyst made a number of errors in determining the value.
By how much has the analyst undervalued the company?
Which of the following statements about IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures is true?
On 1 January 20X1 a company entered into a S200 million interest rate swap with a bank at a fixed rate of 4% against the 6-month risk-free rate to hedge the interest rale risk on a floating rate borrowing.
6-month risk-free rate was as follows:
What is the net settlement due under the swap contract on 1 July 20X1?
A geared and profitable company is evaluating the best method of financing the purchase of new machinery. It is considering either buying the machinery outright, financed by a secured bank borrowingand selling the machinery at the end of a fixed period of time or obtain the machinery under a lease for the same period of time.
Which is the correct discount rate to use when discounting the incremental cash flows of the lease against those of the buy and borrow alternative?
A company plans to raise S15 million to finance an expansion project using a rights issue Relevant data
• Shares will be offered at a 20% discount to the present market price of S12 50 per share
• There are currently 3 million shares in issue
• The project is forecast to yield a positive NPV of $9 million
What is the yield-adjusted Theoretical Ex-Rights Price following the announcement of the rights issue?
A company has:
• 10 million $1 ordinary shares in issue
• A current share price of $5.00 a share
• A WACC of 15%
The company holds $10 million in cash. No interest is earned on this cash.
It will invest this in a project with an expected NPV of $4 million.
In a semi-strong efficient stock market, which of the following is the most likely share price immediately after the announcement of the new investment?
A company in country T is considering either exporting its product directly to customers in country P or establishing a manufacturing subsidiary in country P.
The corporate tax rate in country T is 20% and 25% tax depreciation allowances are available
Which TIIRCC of the following would be considered advantages of establishing a subsidiary in country T?
VVV has a floating rate loan that it wishes to replace with a fixed rate. The cost of the existing loan is the risk-free rate + 3%. VW would have to pay a fixed rate of 7% on a fixed rate loan VVVs bank has found a potential counterparty for a swap arrangement.
The counterparty wishes to raise a variable rate loan It would pay the risk-free rate +1 % on a variable rate loan and 8% on a fixed rate.
The bank will require 10% of the savings from the swap and WV and the counterparty will share the remaining saving equally.
Calculate VWs effective rate of interest from this swap arrangement.
A company plans to raise $12 million to finance an expansion project using a rights issue.
Relevant data:
• Shares will be offered at a 20% discount to the present market price of $15.00 per share.
• There are currently 2 million shares in issue.
• The project is forecast to yield a positive NPV of $6 million.
What is the yield-adjusted Theoretical Ex-Rights Price following the announcement of the rights issue?
A government is currently considering the privatisation of the national airline. The shares are to be offered to the public via a fixed price Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Which THREE of the following statements are correct?
A company has a covenant on its 5% long term corporate bond.
• Covenant - The earnings must not fall below $7 million
The bond has a nominal value of $60 million.
It is currently trading at 80% of its nominal value.
The projected earnings before interest and taxation for next year are $11.5 million.
The company retains 80% of its earnings. It pays tax at 20%.
Advise the Board of Directors which of the following covenant conditions will apply next year?
A listed company in a high technology industry has decided to value its intellectual capital using the Calculated Intangible Value method (CIV).
Relevant data for the company:
• Pays corporate income tax at 30%
• Cost of equity is 9%, pre-tax cost of debt is 7% and the WACC is 8%
• The value spread has been calculated as $26 million
Calculate the CIV for the company.
Company M's current profit before interest and taxation is $5.0 million.
It has a long-term 10% corporate bond in issue with a nominal value of $10 million.
The rate of corporate tax is 25%.
It plans to continue to pay out 50% of its earnings in dividends and earnings are expected to grow by 3% each year in perpetuity.
Its cost of equity is 10%.
Using the dividend growth model, advise the Board of Directors of Company M which of the following provide a reasonable valuation of Company M's equity?
A company currently has a 5.25% fixed rate loan but it wishes to change the interest style of the loan to variable by using an interest rate swap directly with the bank.
The bank has quoted the following swap rate:
* 4.50% - 455% in exchange for Libor
Libor is currently 4%.
If the company enters into the swap and Libor remains at 4%. what will the company's interest cost be?
A company is considering whether to lease or buy an asset.
The following data applies:
• The bank will charge interest at 7.14% per annum
• The asset will cost $1 million
• Tax-allowable depreciation is available on a straight line basis over 5 years
• There is no residual value
• Corporate tax is paid at 30% in the year when the profit is earned
What is the NPV of the buy option?
Give your answer to the nearest $000.
$ ?
Company A plans to acquire Company B.
Both firms operate as wholesalers in the fashion industry, supplying a wide range of ladies' clothing shops.
Company A sources mainly from the UK, Company B imports most of its supplies from low-income overseas countries.
Significant synergies are expected in management costs and warehousing, and in economies of bulk purchasing.
Which of the following is likely to be the single most important issue facing Company A in post-merger integration?
A company is financed by debt and equity and pays corporate income tax at 20%.
Its main objective is the maximisation of shareholder wealth.
It needs to raise $200 million to undertake a project with a positive NPV of $10 million.
The company is considering three options:
• A rights issue.
• A bond issue.
• A combination of both at the current debt to equity ratio.
Estimations of the market values of debt and equity both before and after the adoption of the project have been calculated, based upon Modigliani and Miller's capital theory with tax, and are shown below:
Under Modigliani and Miller's capital theory with tax, what is the increase in shareholder wealth?
An aerospace company is planning to diversify into car manufacturing.
Relevant data:
What is the the cost of equity to be used in the WACC for the project appraisal?
Give your answer in percentage, as a whole number.
Company ABD and Company BCD operate in the same industry and each has a significant market share.
The directors of Company ABD have heard rumours in the market that Company BCD is planning to bid to takeover Company ABD. They do not believe the takeover would be in the best interests of the shareholders and are therefore keen to prevent the bid from going ahead.
Which THREE of the following defense strategies could be used by the directors of Company ABD at this point in time?
Company P is a pharmaceutical company listed on an alternative investment market.
The company is developing a new drug which it hopes to market in approximately six years' time.
Company P is owned and managed by a group of doctors who wish to retain control of the company. The company operates from leased laboratories with minimal fixed assets.
Its value comes from the quality of its research staff and their research.
The company currently has one approved drug which generates sufficient cashflow to cover day to day operations but not sufficient for major new research and development.
Company P wish to raise debt finance to develop the new drug.
Recommend which of the following types of debt finance would be most appropriate for Company P to help finance the development of this new drug.
A listed company is planning to raise $21.6 million to finance a new project with a positive net present value of $5 million. The finance is to be raised via a rights issue at a 10% discount to the current share price. There are currently 100 million shares in issue, trading at $2.00 each.
Taking the new project into account, what would the theoretical ex-rights price be?
Give your answer to two decimal places.
$ ?
The following information relates to Company ZZA's current capital structure:
Company ZZA is considering a change in the capital structure that will increase gearing to 35:65 (Debt Equity).
The risk-free rate is 4% and the return on the market portfolio is expected to be 12%.
The rate of corporate tax is 25%
Using the Capital Asset Pricing Model, calculate the cost of equity resulting from the proposed change to the capital structure.
A company wishes to raise additional debt finance and is assessing the impact this will have on key ratios.
The following data currently applies:
• Profit before interest and tax for the current year is $500,000
• Long term debt of $300,000 at a fixed interest rate of 5%
• 250,000 shares in issue with a share price of $8
The company plans to borrow an additional $200,000 on the first day of the year to invest in new project which will improve annual profit before interest and tax by $24,000.
The additional debt would carry an interest rate of 3%.
Assume the number of shares in issue remain constant but the share price will increase to $8.50 after the investment.
The rate of corporate income tax is 30%.
After the investment, which of the following statements is correct?
The Government of Eastland is concerned that competition within its private healthcare industry is being distorted by the dominant position of the market leader, Delta Care. The Government has instructed the industry regulator to investigate whether the industry is operating fairly in the interests of patients.
Which of the following factors might the industry regulator review as part of their investigation?
Select ALL that apply.
An unlisted company operates in a niche market, exploring the west coast of Africa for new oiI reservoirs.
The oil exploration program has been successful in recent years and t now has a substantial amount of oil reserves with a high level of certainty of being recoverable Under financial reporting regulations, oil still in the ground is not recognised as an asset unit is extracted.
The expense of the exploration program has used up all the company’s available cash resources.
The company has denied to list or a stock market and raise finds through an initial public offering to finance its drilling program.
Which of the following valuation methods in the appropriate to use in calculating an initial listing price for this company?
A company generates and distributes electricity and gas to households and businesses.
Forecast results for the next financial year are as follows:
The Industry Regulator has announced a new price cap of $2.00 per Kilowatt.
The company expects this to cause consumption to rise by 15% but costs would remained unaltered.
The price cap is expected to cause the company's net profit to fall to:
TESTED 17 May 2024
