Question

Orange Inc., an orange juice producer with a current debt-to-equity ratio of 2, is considering expanding its operations to produce toothpaste. Unsurprisingly, the toothpaste industry faces a different set of risks than the orange juice industry. However, the executives at Orange Inc. observe that Paste Inc., a toothpaste company, has a cost of equity of 12%, a cost of debt of 6%, and a debt-to-value ratio of 40%. Orange Inc. plans to finance its expansion into toothpaste production with 50% debt and 50% equity. The cost of debt for Orange Inc. is also 6%, and the corporate tax rate is 25%.

Required:
Solve for the discount rate that Orange Inc. should use when evaluating whether to go forward with the expansion.

Answer 1

8.25%

Step-by-step explanation:

Orange, Inc. should calculate the MARR (minimum acceptable rate of return) for this project using the following:

Re = 12% (similar to Paste, Inc., so it can be considered the industry's average)

Rd = 6% x (1 - 25%) = 4.5%

MARR = (1/2 x 12%) + (1/2 x 4.5%) = 6% + 2.25% = 8.25%

This calculation is similar to calculating a company's WACC since you must determine the weighted cost of financing the project.