Session 10: Equity Valuation: Valuation Concepts Reading 35: Return Concepts
LOS b: Explain the equity risk premium and its use in required return determination, and demonstrate the use of historical and forward-looking estimation approaches.
Equity analyst Yasmine Cordova of Substantial Securities is trying to determine the investment appeal of shares of Maxwell Mincemeat, a small food company. Cordova has assembled the following data about the company:
- Internal rate of return: 9.4%.
- Maxwell’s 20-year bond yield to maturity: 7.9%.
- Maxwell’s two-year bond yield to maturity: 6.1%.
- Treasury bill yield: 3.4%.
- Maxwell’s estimated beta: 2.1.
- Maxwell’s 20-year bonds are priced at $102.65.
- Maxwell’s two-year bonds are priced at $101.47.
- Estimated return of Russell 2000 Index: 12.3%.
- Substantial’s credit analyst estimates that Maxwell’s equity warrants a premium of 4.9% over its bonds.
Cordova wants to make sure her estimates are accurate, so she decides to calculate the estimated required return in two ways. She opts for the bond-yield plus risk premium method and the capital asset pricing model. To check her work, she wants to compare the estimates derived under each method. The difference between the required returns is closest to:
The capital asset pricing model uses the following equation:
Required return = risk-free rate + beta × equity risk premium
To calculate the required return under CAPM, use the Russell 2000 index return, the beta, and the risk-free rate.
Required return = 3.4% + 2.1 × (12.3% ? 3.4%) = 22.09%.
The bond-yield model uses the following equation:
Required return = yield to maturity on long-term bonds + risk premium.
Required return = 7.9% + 4.9% = 12.8%.
The difference between the two estimated required returns is 9.29%.
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