Accounting and Managerial Finance assignment

Title
Accounting and Managerial Finance assignment
Task
To value a company using enterprise discounted cash flow (DCF), we discount free cash flow by the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The weighted average cost of capital represents the opportunity cost that investors face for investing their funds in one particular business instead of others with similar risk. To determine the weighted average cost of capital, calculate its three components: the cost of equity, the after-tax cost of debt, and the company’s target capital structure. Since none of the variables is directly observable, we employ various models, assumptions, and approximations to estimate each component. In this assignment you will be using financial information from Henkel AG and selected market data (in Excel) to assist in answering the questions given below
Question 1
he cost of equity is built on the three factors: the risk-free rate, the market risk premium, and a company-specific risk adjustment. The most commonly used model for this estimate is the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). To determine the CAPM, we need to estimate a risk-free rate, the market risk premium, and the market beta.
a. To determine the risk-free rate, please use Treasury data from the “Select Market Data” spreadsheet. On the “Yields” tab, you will find yields to maturities for U.S. and German Treasury rates. For Henkel AG, which Treasury rate at which maturity is most appropriate to use in valuing the company?
b. To determine Henkel’s corporate beta, unlever (and relever) the ordinary least squares (OLS) market betas for each company in the European Household and Personal Care segment. Prices can be found on the “Prices” tab of the “Select Market Data” spreadsheet. To determine the OLS market beta, regress 10-year monthly returns against the MSCI World index denominated in the same currency. In Excel, this can be done using the “SLOPE” formula. Next, unlever the market beta using each company’s year-end debt-to-equity ratio and the formula: bu = be/(1 + D/E). To determine Henkel’s corporate beta, re-lever the average industry beta using Henkel’s year-end debt-to-equity ratio. Repeat this process for each of Henkel’s divisions.
c. Assume the market risk premium equals 5 percent.
Number of words
3,500 (+500 words max allowed)
Referencing
Harvard Referencing System
Wikipedia website must not be referenced in your work