Estimate WACC

No. 1

Based on its growth prospects, a private investor values a local bakery at $750,000. She believes that cost savings having a present value of $50,000. can be achieved by changing staffing levels and store hours. Based on recent empirical studies, she believes that appropriate liquidity discount is 20%. A recent transaction in the same city required the buyer to pay a 5% premium to the average price for similar businesses to gain a controlling interest in a bakery. What is the most she should be willing to pay for a 50.1% stake in the bakery?

No. 2

You have been asked by an investor to value a local restaurant. In the most recent year, the restaurant earned pretax operating income of $300,000. Income has grown an average of 4% annually during the last five years, and it is expected to continue growing at that rate into the foreseeable future. By introducing modern management methods, you believe the pretax operating-income growth rate can be increased to 6% beyond the second year and sustained at that rate through the foreseeable future. The investor is willing to pay a 10% premium to reflect the value of control. The beta and debt-to-equity ratio for publicly traded firms in the restaurant industry are 2 and 1.5, respectively. The business’s target debt-to-equity ratio is 1, and its pretax cost of borrowing, based on its recent borrowing activities, is 7%. The business-specific risk for firms of this size is estimated to be 6%. The investor concludes that the specific risk of this business is less than other firms in this industry due to its sustained profit growth, low leverage, and high return on assets compared to similar restaurants in this geographic area. Moreover, per capita income in this region is expected to grow more rapidly than elsewhere in the country, adding to the growth prospects of the restaurant business. At an estimated 15%, the liquidity risk premium is believed to be relatively low due to the excellent reputation of the restaurant. Since the current chef and the staff are expected to remain if the business is sold, the quality of the restaurant is expected to be maintained. The ten-year Treasury bond rate is 5%, the equity risk premium is 5.5%, and the federal, state, and local tax rate is 40%. The annual change is working capital is $20,000, and capital spending for maintenance exceeded depreciation in the prior year by $15,000. Both working capital and the excess of capital spending over depreciation are projected to grow at the same rate as operating income. What is the business worth?

NOTE: That to estimate WACC for a levered private company, it is necessary to calculate the company’s levered B. This requires an estimate of the firm’s unlevered B, which can be obtained by de-levering the B for similar firms in the same industry