honeycfa

A company currently has a required return on equity of 14% and an ROE of 12%. All else equal, if there is an increase in a firm’s dividend payout ratio, the stock's value will most likely:

A) either increase or decrease.

B) increase.

C) decrease.

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Increase in dividend payout/reduction in earnings retention.In this case, an increase in the dividend payout will likely increase the P/E ratio because a decrease in earnings retention will likely increase the P/E ratio. The logic is as follows: Because earnings retention impacts both the numerator (dividend payout) and denominator (g) of the P/E ratio, the impact of a change in earnings retention depends upon the relationship of k_e and ROE. If the company is earning a lower rate on new projects than the rate required by the market (ROE < k_e), investors will likely prefer that the company pay out earnings rather than investing in lower-yield projects. Since an increase in the dividend payout would decrease earnings retention, the P/E ratio would rise, as investors will value the company higher if it retains a lower percentage of earnings.

honeycfa

All else equal, if a firm’s return on equity (ROE) increases, the stock’s value as estimated by the constant growth dividend discount model (DDM) will most likely:

A) increase.

B) not change.

C) decrease.

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Increase in ROE: ROE is a component of g. As g increases, the spread between k_e and g, or the P/E denominator, will decrease, and the P/E ratio will increase.

honeycfa

Assume a company's ROE is 14% and the required return on equity is 13%. All else remaining equal, if there is a decrease in a firm’s retention rate, a stock’s value as estimated by the constant growth dividend discount model (DDM) will most likely:

A) decrease.

B) increase.

C) either increase or decrease.

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Increase in dividend payout/reduction in earnings retention. In this case, reduction in earnings retention will likely lower the P/E ratio. The logic is as follows: Because earnings retention impacts both the numerator (dividend payout) and denominator (g) of the P/E ratio, the impact of a change in earnings retention depends upon the relationship of k_e and ROE. If the company is earning a higher rate on new projects than the rate required by the market (ROE > k_e), investors will likely prefer that the company retain more earnings. Since an increase in the dividend payout would decrease earnings retention, the P/E ratio would fall, as investors will value the company lower if it retains a lower percentage of earnings.

honeycfa

All else equal, an increase in a company’s growth rate will most likely cause its P/E ratio to:

A) increase.

B) decrease.

C) either increase or decrease.

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Increase in g: As g increases, the spread between k_e and g, or the P/E denominator, will decrease, and the P/E ratio will increase.

honeycfa

According to the earnings multiplier model, all else equal, as the dividend payout ratio on a stock increases, the:

A) P/E ratio will decrease.

B) required return on the stock will decrease.

C) P/E ratio will increase.

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According to the earnings multiplier model, the P/E ratio is equal to P₀/E₁ = (D₁/E₁)/(k_e - g). As D₁/E₁ increases, P₀/E₁ will increase, all else equal.