6. Jessica is a current stockholder in Have-it-all Inc. Recently, the firm announced a dividend increase of
$0.10 per share as well as a new security offering. A plausible explanation for Have-it-all’s actions
would be:
The firm has not realized sufficient cash flow from operations and is in need of external
financing to meet its dividend policy.
The firm is in need of capital to maximize current shareholder wealth through dividend
payments rather than retained earnings.
The firm is in need of capital to fund positive NPV projects and would like to send a
signal to investors that future earnings will be increasing.
The firm’s retained earnings have not been sufficient enough to finance all positive NPV
projects and external financing is now required in order to meet stated dividend
requirements.
The firm requires external financing due to an increase in working capital stocks.
7. Banks that are allowed to hold equity claims of firms as well as provide loan offerings would be more
likely to:
wield greater power as a corporate monitor
continue to lend funds to firms in financial distress
not notice a poorly performing loan
8. Lena is attempting to convince her boss that more common stock should be issued in order to raise
capital for an upcoming project. If Lena is successful, her firm:
will be employing the worldwide dominant source of corporate funding
will be employing the dominant source of corporate funding in the U.S.
will be following the worldwide shift toward corporate reliance on retained earnings
will raise capital through a secondary offering
9. In countries with legal systems based on English common law:
greater protection is afforded to minority shareholders and public equity markets are larger
than in countries with other legal systems
greater protection is afforded to shareholders and creditors, resulting in decreased
tendencies towards entrepreneurship
public equity markets are larger than in countries with other legal systems but
entrepreneurial tendencies are relatively low
entrepreneurship tendencies are higher due to low expected bankruptcy costs
markets are characterized by atomistic ownership structures where a single investor or a
single block of shareholders is likely to control a majority of the voting stock in the typical
public company
10. Why do firms issue preferred stocks?
the firm is a public utility, the most common issuer
to acquire a firm in a merger transaction