T c=income taxes of 1987 / income before income taxes of 1987 = 175.9/398.9 = 44%
Step 1:From the Exhibit 3 equity for each firm in this industry are below
Marriot Corporation 1.11; Hilton Hotels Corporation .76 ; Holiday Corporation 1.35
La Quinta Motor Inns .89; Ramada Inns, Inc 1.36.
Step 2: For each firm in the industry, to estimate bunlevered using the bequity estimate:
bequity = [1 + (1-TC)Debt/Equity]bunlevered
bunleveredof Marriot= 1.11/[1+(1-.44)*.41]=.90 bunleveredof Hilton= 0.76/[1+(1-.44)*.14]=.70
bunleveredof Holiday= 1.35/[1+(1-.44)*.79]=.94 bunleveredof La Quinta= 0.89/
[1+(1-.44)*.69]=.64
bunleveredof Ramada= 1.36/[1+(1-.44)*.65]=.997
Step 3: Take an industry average of the bunlevered estimates as estimate of firms
bunlevered
(.90 +.70+.94+.64+.997)/5 = .84
Step 4: Use firm’s target D/E ratio and bunlevered estimate to calculate bequity