37. If a company chooses to capitalize an expenditure related to capital assets instead of expensing it, ignoring taxes, the company will most likely report:
A. a lower cash flow per share in that period.
B. a higher earnings per share in future periods.
C. the same free cash flow to the firm in that period.
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Ans: C.
Example: Capitalizing delivery cost as opposed to expensing it. FCFF=CFO + interest × (1– t) – capital expenditures If capitalized, the amount capitalized increases capital expenditures and is recorded as a cash outflow from investing activities. The CFO will be higher by amount capitalized, i.e., the amount not expensed. Since capital expenditures and CFO increase by the same amount, FCFF is unchanged.
A is incorrect. Since CFO would be higher, cash flow per share in that period would be higher.
B is incorrect. Capitalizing an expenditure related to capital assets will lead to an increase in the depreciation expense in future period. So the EPS in future period will be lower since net income will be lower. |