Chapter 15: Capital Structure Decisions
71. Daylight Solutions is considering a recapitalization that would increase its debt ratio and increase its interest expense.
The company would issue new bonds and use the proceeds to buy back shares of its common stock. The company’s CFO
thinks the plan will not change total assets or operating income, but that it will increase earnings per share (EPS).
Assuming the CFO’s estimates are correct, which of the following statements is CORRECT?
a. If the plan reduces the WACC, the stock price is also likely to decline.
b. Since the plan is expected to increase EPS, this implies that net income is also expected to increase.
c. If the plan does increase the EPS, the stock price will automatically increase at the same rate.
d. Under the plan there will be more bonds outstanding, and that will increase their liquidity and thus lower the
interest rate on the currently outstanding bonds.
e. Since the proposed plan increases Daylight’s financial risk, the company’s stock price still might fall even if EPS
increases.
72. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
a. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that maximizes earnings per share.
b. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that maximizes the firm’s times
interest earned (TIE) ratio.
c. Increasing a company’s debt ratio will typically reduce the marginal costs of both debt and equity financing;
however, this still may raise the company’s WACC.
d. If Congress were to pass legislation that increases the personal tax rate but decreases the corporate tax rate, this
would encourage companies to increase their debt ratios.
e. The capital structure that maximizes the stock price is also the capital structure that minimizes the weighted
average cost of capital (WACC).