Question

An all-equity business has 100 million shares outstanding selling for $20 a share. Management believes that interest rates are unreasonably low and decides to execute a leveraged recapitalization (a recap). It will raise $1 billion in debt and repurchase 50 million shares. a. What is the market value of the firm prior to the recap? What is the market value of equity? b. Assuming the Irrelevance Proposition holds, what is the market value of the firm after the recap? What is the market value of equity? c. Do equity shareholders appear to have gained or lost as a result of the recap? Please explain. d. Assume now that the recap increases total firm cash flows, which adds $100 million to the value of the firm. Now what is the market value of the firm? What is the market value of equity? e. Do equity shareholders appear to have gained or lost as a result of the recap in this revised scenario?

Answer 1

a) Market Value = $100 million × $20 = $2,000 million = $2 billion

Market value of equity would remain same = $2 billion

b) Market value would remain same after recap. Only market capitalization would reduce to half.

Market value of equity = 1 billion

c) Buying back shares increases the stock price which demonstrates the faith of the company in its work. But creditors have capital gains.

d) After recap and cash flow firm total value has increased to $2 billion + $100 Million = $2.1 billion and market value of equity has increased from $20 to $22 . ($1000 + $100)/50 = $22.

e) Equity shareholders have gained due to increase in there share value

Step-by-step explanation: