In: Finance
Mr. Gold is in the widget business. He currently sells 1.1
million widgets a year at $5 each. His variable cost to produce the
widgets is $3 per unit, and he has $1,620,000 in fixed costs. His
sales-to-assets ratio is five times, and 20 percent of his assets
are financed with 12 percent debt, with the balance financed by
common stock at $10 par value per share. The tax rate is 40
percent.
His brother-in-law, Mr. Silverman, says he is doing it all wrong.
By reducing his price to $4.50 a widget, he could increase his
volume of units sold by 40 percent. Fixed costs would remain
constant, and variable costs would remain $3 per unit. His
sales-to-assets ratio would be 6.3 times. Furthermore, he could
increase his debt-to-assets ratio to 50 percent, with the balance
in common stock. It is assumed that the interest rate would go up
by 1 percent and the price of stock would remain constant.
a. Compute earnings per share under the Gold
plan. (Round your answer to 2 decimal
places.)
b. Compute earnings per share under the Silverman
plan. (Round your answer to 2 decimal
places.)
c. Mr. Gold’s wife, the chief financial officer,
does not think that fixed costs would remain constant under the
Silverman plan but that they would go up by 20 percent. If this is
the case, should Mr. Gold shift to the Silverman plan, based on
earnings per share?
Yes
No