Question

Identify the major tradeoffs between taking on a large load of debt due to its lower...

Identify the major tradeoffs between taking on a large load of debt due to its lower cost versus the increased probability of financial distress when too much debt is used on the other hand. How does this relate to an optimal capital structure?

Homework Answers

Answer #1

If a firm takes up more debt, the tax shield (Debt interest expense * tax rate) helps reduce tax outgo and thereby increases profit after tax. So there is an advantage in raising debt levels.

On the other hand, as debt levels rise, periodic interest payments to be made to creditors raises. In an economic downturn or even in an industry specific downturn, the demand for the firm's products may drop. Servicing of interest expense then may become untenable. So bankruptcy may become a possibility.

An optimal capital structure is one that takes into account the balancing of the trade off mentioned above and provides sustainable tax shield.

Know the answer?
Your Answer:

Post as a guest

Your Name:

What's your source?

Earn Coins

Coins can be redeemed for fabulous gifts.

Not the answer you're looking for?
Ask your own homework help question
Similar Questions
The optimal capital structure will tend to include more debt for firms with A. less taxable...
The optimal capital structure will tend to include more debt for firms with A. less taxable income. B. lower probability of financial distress. C. substantial tax shields from other sources. D. the lowest marginal tax rate. E. the highest depreciation deductions.
If a firm hits its capital structure optimal point and then continues to add debt, it...
If a firm hits its capital structure optimal point and then continues to add debt, it would likely experience a. Record profits for the firm. b. Financial distress and bankruptcy. c. An attempted takeover by a corporate raider. d. A doubling of the balance sheet numbers. e. Increases in profit if the economy goes down. 14. Maintaining a level dividend (with slight increases) would NOT be important to a company using a. the homemade dividend policy b. the clientele dividend...
Which of the following is true regarding setting personal debt limits? Can be more than one...
Which of the following is true regarding setting personal debt limits? Can be more than one answer. a. Your mortgage loan and all credit card charges, especially those paid in full every month, are included in the debt payments-to-disposable income method. b. The debt limit according to the continuous-debt method is a four-year payoff period. c. For most people, your debt limit should be lower than what creditors are willing to offer. d. Under the debt-to-income method, the recommended maximum...
Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced at...
Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced at par, so the market value of its debt equals its book value. Since dollars are in thousands, number of shares are shown in thousands too. Barry Computer Company: Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018 (In Thousands) Cash $212,520 Accounts payable $182,160 Receivables 516,120 Other current liabilities 136,620 Inventories 425,040 Notes payable to bank 182,160    Total current assets $1,153,680    Total current liabilities $500,940 Long-term...
Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced at...
Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced at par, so the market value of its debt equals its book value. Since dollars are in thousands, number of shares are shown in thousands too. Barry Computer Company: Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019 (In Thousands) Cash $ 93,800 Accounts payable $ 150,080 Receivables 234,500 Other current liabilities 93,800 Inventories 206,360 Notes payable to bank 93,800    Total current assets $ 534,660    Total current...
eBook Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced...
eBook Data for Barry Computer Co. and its industry averages follow. The firm's debt is priced at par, so the market value of its debt equals its book value. Since dollars are in thousands, number of shares are shown in thousands too. Barry Computer Company: Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2019 (In Thousands) Cash $ 249,900 Accounts payable $ 249,900 Receivables 678,300 Other current liabilities 232,050 Inventories 428,400 Notes payable to bank 89,250    Total current assets $ 1,356,600    Total...
Although stocks and bonds may both be viewed as investment opportunities, there are major differences between...
Although stocks and bonds may both be viewed as investment opportunities, there are major differences between these two. Stock represents capital, the financial investment or equity, in a corporation. In a publicly traded corporation, individuals and groups buy and own shares of stock in the company. Shares of stock are traded (bought and sold) on one of the stock exchanges. For example, you might buy shares of stock in Coca-Cola, a publicly traded company. Publicly traded companies are very different...
Total Ghana has a temporary need for funds. Management is trying to decide between taking discounts...
Total Ghana has a temporary need for funds. Management is trying to decide between taking discounts from one of their suppliers or a 14.75% per annum renewable discount loan from its bank for 3 months. The suppliers' terms are as follows. GNPC 1/10, net 30. BOST 2/15, net 60. Tema Oil Refinery net 90. Assume 360-day year, the cheapest source of short-term financing is * (a) The bank (b) GNPC (c) BOST (d) Tema Oil refinery 16. Which of the...
You work for a company that is being accused of monopoly behavior, given its large size....
You work for a company that is being accused of monopoly behavior, given its large size. Comparisons are made to the industry standard, where each establishment has on average about 16.3 employees. Your company is bigger than that, but you want to provide evidence against the monopoly charges. You’ve collected data at different times in your company’s history, when you had different amounts of capital. In 2012, SRATC=17Q2−2,200Q+100,000 In 2015, SRATC=37Q2−1,500Q+55,000 In 2018, SRATC=20Q2−2,000Q+75,000 1. After plotting these three different...
Norwich Industries, an established manufacturer of printing equipment, expects its sales to remain flat for the...
Norwich Industries, an established manufacturer of printing equipment, expects its sales to remain flat for the next three to five years due to both weak economic outlook and an expectation of little new printing technology development over that period. Base on that scenario the firm’s management has been instructed by the Board of directors to institute that will allow it to operate more efficiently, earn higher profits, and most important maximize shareholder wealth. In this regard, the firm’s chief financial...