In: Accounting
Problem 22-05
Merger Analysis
Marston Marble Corporation is considering a merger with the Conroy Concrete Company. Conroy is a publicly traded company, and its beta is 1.30. Conroy has been barely profitable, so it has paid an average of only 20% in taxes during the last several years. In addition, it uses little debt; its target ratio is just 20%, with the cost of debt 8%.
If the acquisition were made, Marston would operate Conroy as a separate, wholly owned subsidiary. Marston would pay taxes on a consolidated basis, and the tax rate would therefore increase to 40%. Marston also would increase the debt capitalization in the Conroy subsidiary to wd = 35%, for a total of $20.18 million in debt by the end of Year 4, and pay 10.5% on the debt. Marston's acquisition department estimates that Conroy, if acquired, would generate the following free cash flows and interest expenses (in millions of dollars) in Years 1-5:
Year | Free Cash Flows | Interest Expense |
1 | $1.30 | $1.2 |
2 | 1.50 | 1.7 |
3 | 1.75 | 2.8 |
4 | 2.00 | 2.1 |
5 | 2.12 | ? |
In Year 5, Conroy's interest expense would be based on its beginning-of-year (that is, the end-of-Year-4) debt, and in subsequent years both interest expense and free cash flows are projected to grow at a rate of 6%.
These cash flows include all acquisition effects. Marston's cost of equity is 9.6%, its beta is 1.2, and its cost of debt is 9.5%. The risk-free rate is 6%, and the market risk premium is 3.0%. Use the compressed APV model to answer the following questions.