Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) for CGT

You are employed by CGT, a Fortune 500 firm that is a major producer of chemicals and plastic goods: plastic grocery bags, styrofoam cups, and fertilizers. You are on the corporate staff as an assistant to the Vice-President of Finance. This is a position with high visibility and the opportunity for rapid advancement, providing you make the right decisions. Your boss has asked you to estimate the weighted average cost of capital for the company. Following are balance sheets and some information about CGT.

Assets
Current assets $ 38,000,000
Net plant, property, and equipment $101,000,000

Total Assets $139,000,000

Liabilities and Equity
Accounts payable $ 10,000,000
Accruals $ 9,000,000
Current liabilities $ 19,000,000

Long term debt (40,000 bonds, $1,000 face value) $ 40,000,000
Total liabilities $ 59,000,000

Common Stock 10,000,000 shares) $ 30,000,000
Retained Earnings $ 50,000,000
Total shareholders equity $ 80,000,000

Total liabilities and shareholders equity $139,000,000

You check The Wall Street Journal and see that CGT stock is currently selling for $7.50 per share and that CGT bonds are selling for $889.50 per bond. These bonds have a 7.25 percent annual coupon rate, with semi-annual payments. The bonds mature in twenty years. The beta for your company is approximately equal to 1.1. The yield on a 6-month Treasury bill is 3.5 percent and the yield on a 20-year Treasury bond is 5.5 percent. The expected return on the stock market is 11.5 percent, but the stock market has had an average annual return of 14.5 percent during the past five years. CGT is in the 40 percent tax bracket.

7. Using the CAPM approach, what is the best estimate of the cost of equity for CGT?

8. What is best estimate for the after-tax cost of debt for CGT?

9. Which of the following is the best estimate for the weights to be used when calculating the WACCC?

10. What is the best estimate of the WACC for CGT?