Final answer:
An investor would pay for a share of Babble, Inc. based on the present value of future profits, divided by the total number of shares. Assuming a 15% discount rate, the stock price would be approximately $256,500 per share given the company's expected profits paid out as dividends.
Step-by-step explanation:
Consider the case of Babble, Inc., a company that offers speaking lessons. The company expects profits to be $15 million immediately, $20 million one year from now, and $25 million two years from now, which will be disbursed as dividends. To find out what an investor would pay for a share of this company's stock, one would calculate the present value (PV) of the future dividends using an appropriate discount rate (in this case, let's say it's 15%). The future profits are then discounted to their present values (PVs) and added together. Given the total number of shares is 200, the price per share would be the total PV of the profits divided by the number of shares. Assuming a total PV of profits of 51.3 million, the price per share would be $256,500 per share. It is important to note that expected profits in the real world would be an estimate, not precise figures, and selecting the appropriate discount rate can be subject to various factors.