Illinois Bio Technologies

Illinois Bio Technologies (IBTECH) was founded in Rosemont, Illinois, in 1992 by Kelly O'Brien, David Roberts, and Barbara Smalley. O'Brien and Roberts, both MDs, were on the research faculty at the Chicago Medical School at the time; O'Brien specialized in biochemistry and molecular biology, and Roberts specialized in immunology and medical microbiology. Smalley, who has a PhD, served a department chair of the Microbiology Department at the same school.

The company started as a research and development firm, which performed its own basic research, obtained patents on promising technologies, and then either sold or licensed the technologies to other firms which marketed the products. In recent years, however, the firm has also contracted to perform research and testing for larger genetic engineering and biotechnology firm, and for the U.S. government. Since its inception, the company has enjoyed enormous success - even its founders were surprised at the scientific breakthrough made and the demand for its services. One event that contributed significantly to the firm's rapid growth had been the AIDS research. Both the U.S. government and private foundations have spent billions of dollars in AIDS research, and IBTECH had the right combination of skills to garner significant grant funds, as well as perform as a subcontractor to other firm receiving AIDS research grant.

The founders were relatively wealthy individuals when they started the company, and they had enough confidence in the business to commit most of their own funds to the new venture. Still, the capital requirement brought on by extremely rapid growth soon exhausted their personal funds, so they were forced to raise capital from outside sources. First, in 2001, the firm borrowed heavily, and then in 2003, when it used up its conventional debt capacity, it issued $15 million of preferred stock. Finally, in 2006, the firm had an initial public offering (lPO) which raised $50 million of common equity. Currently, the stock trades in the over-the-counter market, and it has been selling at about $25 per share.

IBTECH is widely recognized as the leader in an emerging growth industry, and it won an award in 2008 for being one of the 100 best-managed small companies in the United States. The company is organized into two divisions: (1) the Clinical Research Division and (2) the Genetic Engineering Division. Although the two divisions are housed in the same buildings, the equipment they use and their personnel are quite different. Indeed, there are few synergies between the two divisions. The most important synergies lay in the general overhead and marketing areas. Personnel, payroll, and similar functions are all done at the corporate level, while technical operations at the divisions are completely separate.

The Clinical Research Division conduct most of the firm' AIDS research. Since most of the grant and contracts associated with AIDS research are long-term in nature, and since billion of new dollars will likely be spent in this area, the business risk of this division is low. Conversely, the Genetic Engineering Division works mostly on in-house research and short-term contracts where the funding, duration, and payoff are very uncertain. A line of research may look good initially, but it is not unusual to hit some snag, which preclude further exploration. Because of the uncertainties inherent in genetic research, the Genetic Engineering Division is judged to have high business risk.

The founders are still active in the business, but they no longer work 70-hour week. Increasingly, they are enjoying the fruits of their past labor, and they have let professional managers take over day-to-day operations. They are all on the board of director, though, and David Roberts is chairman.

Although the firm's growth has been phenomenal, it has been more random than planned. The founders would simply decide on new avenue of research, and then count on the skills of the research teams-and good luck-to produce commercial successes. Formal decision structures were almost nonexistent, but the company's head start and its bright, energetic founder easily overcame any deficiencies in its managerial decision processes. Recently, however, competition has become stiffer, and such large biotechnology firms such as Genentech, Amgen, and even Bristol-Myers Squibb have begun to recognize the opportunities in IBTECH's research line. Because of this increasing competition, IBTECH's founders and board of directors have concluded that the firm must apply state-of-the-art technique in its managerial processes as well as in its technological processes. As a first step, the board directed the financial vice president, Gary Hayes, to develop an estimate for the firm's cost of capital and to use this number in capital budgeting decisions. Hayes, in turn, directed IBTECH's treasurer, Julie Owens, to have a cost of capital estimate on his desk in one week. Owens has an accounting background, and her primary task since taking over as treasurer has been to deal with the banks. Thus, she is somewhat apprehensive about this new assignment especially since one of the board members is her former Kean University finance professor.

Table 1

Illinois Bio Technologies, Inc.

Balance Sheet for the Year Ended December 31, 2019

(In Millions of Dollars)

To begin, Owen reviewed IBTECH's 2019 balance sheet, which is shown in Table 1. Next, she assembled the following data:

• IBTECH's long-term debt consists of 9.5 percent coupon, semiannual payment bonds with fifteen year remaining to maturity. The bonds last traded at a price of $891 per $1,000 par value bond. The bonds are not callable and they are rated BBB.
• The founders have an aversion to short-term debt, so the firm uses such debt only to fund cyclical working capital needs.
• IBTECH' federal-plus-state tax rate is 40 percent.
• The company’s preferred stock pays a dividend of $2.50 per quarter and has a par value of $100. It is non-callable and perpetual, and it is traded in over-the-counter market at a current price of $104 per share. A flotation cost of $2 per share would be required on a new issue of preferred stock.
• The firm's last dividend (D₀) was $1.09, and dividends are expected to grow at about a 10 percent rate in the foreseeable future. Some analyst expect the company' recent growth rate to continue, other expect it to go to zero as new competition enter the market, but the majority anticipate that a growth rate of about 10 percent will continue indefinitely.
• An important minority of analyst have noted that over the last few years, the company has had a 14 percent average return on equity (ROE) and has paid out about 25 percent of its net income as dividends. They believe the firm' expected future growth rate, g should be based on this information and used to estimate the cost of capital.
• The firm's per share dividend payment over the past five year has been a follow

• IBTECH’s common stock now sells at a price of about $25 per share. The company has 5 million common shares outstanding.
• The current yield on long-term T-bonds is 8 percent, and a prominent investment-banking firm has recently estimated that the market risk premium is six percentage points over Treasury bond. The firm' historical beta, as measured by several analysts who follow the stock, is 1.2.
• The required rate of return on an average (A-rated) company's long-term debt is 10 percent.
• IBTECH is forecasting reinvested earnings of $1,800,000 and depreciation of 4,500,000 for the coming year.
• IBTECH's investment banker believes that a new common tack issue would involve total flotation costs - including underwriting costs, market pressure from increased supply, and market pressure from negative signaling effect- of 30 percent.
• The market value target capital structure call for 30 percent long-term debt, 10 percent preferred stock, and 60 percent common stock.

Now assume that you were recently hired as Julie Owen’s assistant, and she has given you the task of helping her develop the firm's cost of capital. You will also have to meet with Gary Hayes and, possibly, with the president and the full board of directors (including the Kean University Professor) to answer any question they might have. With this in mind, Owens wrote up the following questions to get you started with your analysis. Answer them, but keep in mind that you could be asked further questions about your answer, so be sure you understand the logic behind any formula or calculation you use. In particular, be aware of potential conceptual or empirical problems that might exist.

7. Use the bond-yield-plus-risk-premium method to estimate IBTECH's cost of reinvested earnings (r_s).

Agarwal Technologies was founded 10 years ago. It has been profitable for the last 5 years, but it has needed all of its earnings to support growth and thus has never paid a dividend. Management has indicated that it plans to pay a $0.25 dividend 3 years from today, then to increase it at a relatively rapid rate for 2 years, and then to increase it at a constant rate of 8.00% thereafter. Management's forecast of the future dividend stream, along with the forecasted growth rates, is shown below. Assuming a required return of 11.00%, what is your estimate of the stock's current value?

Agarwal Technologies was founded 10 years ago. It has been profitable for the last 5 years, but it has needed all of its earnings to support growth and thus has never paid a dividend. Management has indicated that it plans to pay a $0.25 dividend 3 years from today, then to increase it at a relatively rapid rate for 2 years, and then to increase it at a constant rate of 8.00% thereafter. Management's forecast of the future dividend stream, along with the forecasted growth rates, is shown below. Assuming a required return of 11.00%, what is your estimate of the stock's current value? Please be extremely descriptive on how you got the answer to this or no rating.

Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Growth Rate NA NA NA NA 85.00% 42.50% 8.00% Dividends $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.250 $0.463 $0.660 $0.713

FRAUD CASE :

JANNIE’S JEWELRY STORES

Jannie’s Jewelry Stores is a large corporation founded in 1998 that operates 23 retail jewelry stores located throughout the Southeastern United States. Jannie’s tailors its product line to middle-class shoppers, and specializes in engagement and wedding rings. Each store offers a large variety of jewelry (approximately 1,200 different items) with a fairly narrow price range ($50 to $3,500). Although sales increased rapidly during the first years of Jannie’s operations, sales during the last three years were flat. In an effort to increase sales, Jannie’s recently initiated its own credit card program.

The credit card program required new manual and new IT systems. Among other things, a credit department was established and an accounts receivable (AR) IT program was installed. The credit department’s responsibilities include approving customers for the company’s credit cards, following up on past-due receivables, and determining when customer accounts should be written off. The credit department has two employees: a credit manager and an AR clerk.

Customers’ credit card requests are initiated by the customer completing an online application in any of Jannie’s 23 retail locations. The online application requests the customer’s name, address, current monthly income, and Social Security number, among other information. Once the credit application is completed, the IT system automatically interfaces with an independent credit bureau. If the information included in the customer’s application matches the information in the credit bureau’s database, and if the customer has a credit score of in excess of a predetermined minimum score, the customer is extended a credit limit equal to 10 percent of his/her current monthly income. Higher credit limits require the approval of the credit manager.

The AR IT system interfaces with the company’s point-of-sale system, automatically posting sales transactions that occur at the company’s stores to the AR trial balance. Customers’ payments are received at a lockbox, posted to the company’s bank accounts daily by the bank. Copies of customer checks and remittance advices are received by the Credit Department, where the AR clerk posts them to customers’ accounts. Monthly customer statements are automatically generated by the IT system. Each month-end, a report of all customers with past-due balances is generated by the IT system. The credit manager reviews the report and instructs the AR clerk to follow-up on specific customer accounts.

Based on the results of the AR clerk’s follow-up activities, the credit manager determines which accounts should be written off, and processes any necessary adjustments through the IT system. The credit manager meets quarterly with Jannie’s CFO to discuss any particularly problematic accounts or unusual write-offs of customer accounts.

The Fraud

Before accepting a position with Jannie’s Jewelry, the credit manager was employed by Fred’s Fashions in a similar position. Fred’s owner decided to discontinue Fred’s credit card program and eliminated the credit manager’s position. The credit manager purchased a new home just prior to being laid off. The night prior to being laid off, the credit manager got engaged, promising that he and his new fiance´e would soon shop for an engagement ring. Even though the position at Jannie’s paid $20,000 less than the position at Fred’s, the credit manager was assured by Jannie’s president that as long as the company’s credit card program went well, the credit manager was sure to receive raises that would soon make the salary comparable to his former salary. In addition, the credit manager was looking forward to taking advantage of Jannie’s employee discount program when purchasing his fiance´e’s engagement ring.

The credit manager selected a $3,500 ring for his fiancee´, which with his employee discount cost $2,900. The purchase was financed on a Jannie’s credit card, by the credit manager overriding the company policy of granting a credit limit of 10 percent of a customer’s current monthly salary. The credit manager quickly fell behind in his required credit card payments. Although his account began to show up on the AR past-due report, the credit manager avoided directing the AR clerk to perform follow-up procedures for several months. When he learned that the company’s auditors would be visiting his department soon, he wrote his remaining account balance off using the IT system, fully intending to repay the balance when he receives his promised raise.

Question:

What are the red flags present that suggest the possibility of fraud? Are there conditions present suggested by the fraud triangle that may facilitate fraud? Are there IT-related issues that could facilitate fraud?

How would the fraud impact the financial statements? What accounts would be misstated?

1. John Thurgood founded a company that translates Chinese books into English. His company is currently testing a computer-based translation service. Since Chinese symbols are difficult to translate, John assumes the computer program will make some errors, but then so do human translators. The computer error rate, as promised by the computer program developer, is no more than three errors per 400 words. Suppose John randomly selects a 1200-word passage. If 15 errors are found in the 1200-word passage, what would you conclude about the computer program developer’s claim? Why? (Assume that it is possible for the computer to make more than one error in translating each word in the passage).

How do I enter this into minitab?

Problem 1-04A Skysong Inc., a provider of consulting services, was founded on October 1, 2022. At the end of the first month of operations, the company decided to prepare an income statement, retained earnings statement, and balance sheet using the following information. Accounts payable $ 3,700 Supplies $ 2,650 Interest expense 350 Supplies expense 360 Equipment (net) 48,000 Depreciation expense 260 Salaries and wages expense 2,800 Service revenue 19,540 Bonds payable 21,800 Salaries and wages payable 590 Unearned service revenue 4,190 Common stock 9,900 Accounts receivable 1,450 Interest payable 150 Cash 4,000 Using the information, answer the following questions. Prepare an income statement for the month of October 2022. SKYSONG INC. Income Statement choose the accounting period select an opening name for section one enter an income statement item $ enter a dollar amount select an opening name for section two enter an income statement item $ enter a dollar amount enter an income statement item enter a dollar amount enter an income statement item enter a dollar amount enter an income statement item enter a dollar amount select a closing name for section two enter a subtotal amount for section two select a closing name for this statement $ enter a total net income or loss amount Show List of Accounts Link to Text Prepare a retained earnings statement for the month of October 2022. SKYSONG INC. Retained Earnings Statement choose the accounting period select an opening name $ enter a dollar amount select between addition and deduction : select an item enter a dollar amount select a closing name $ enter a total amount Show List of Accounts Link to Text Prepare a balance sheet as of October 31, 2022. (List assets in order of liquidity.) SKYSONG INC. Balance Sheet enter an accounting period Assets enter a balance sheet item $ enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount select a closing name for the first part of the balance sheet $ enter a total amount for the first part of the balance sheet Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity select an opening name for section one enter a balance sheet item $ enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount select a closing name for section one $ enter a subtotal of the two previous amounts select an opening name for section two enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount enter a balance sheet item enter a dollar amount select a closing name for section two enter a subtotal of the two previous amounts select a closing name for the second part of the balance sheet $ enter a total amount for the second part of balance sheet Click if you would like to Show Work for this question: Open Show Work Show List of Accounts Link to Text

Agarwal Technologies was founded 10 years ago. It has been profitable for the last 5 years, but it has needed all of its earnings to support growth and thus has never paid a dividend. Management has indicated that it plans to pay a $0.25 dividend 3 years from today, then to increase it at a relatively rapid rate for 2 years, and then to increase it at a constant rate of 8.00% thereafter. Management's forecast of the future dividend stream, along with the forecasted growth rates, is shown below. Assuming a required return of 11.00%, what is your estimate of the stock's current value? Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Growth rate NA NA NA NA 30.00% 15.00% 8.00% Dividends $0.000 $0.000 $0.000 $0.250 $0.325 $0.374 $0.404 ? a. $9.21 b. $9.29 c. $8.60 d. $10.75 e. $10.50

Stephenson Real Estate Company was founded 25 years ago by the current CEO, Robert Stephenson. The company purchases real estate, including land and buildings, and rents the properties to tenants. The company has shown a profit every year for the past 18 years, and the shareholders are satisfied with the company’s management. Prior to founding Stephenson Real Estate, Robert was the founder and CEO of a failed alpaca farming operation. The resulting bankruptcy made him extremely averse to debt financing. As a result, the company is entirely equity financed, with 9 million shares of common stock outstanding. The stock currently trades at $37.80 per share. Stephenson is evaluating a plan to purchase a huge tract of land in the southeastern United States for $95 million. The land will subsequently be leased to tenant farmers. This purchase is expected to increase Stephenson’s annual pre-tax earnings (EBIT) by $18.75 million in perpetuity. Jennifer Weyand, the company’s new CFO, has been put in charge of the project. Jennifer has determined that the company’s current cost of capital is 10.20%. She feels that the company would be more valuable if it included debt in its capital structure, so she is evaluating whether the company should issue debt to entirely finance the project. Based on some conversations with investment banks, she thinks that the company can issue bonds at par (face value) with a 6 percent coupon rate. From her analysis, she also believes that a capital structure in the range of 70 percent equity/30 percent debt would be optimal. If the company goes beyond 30 percent debt, its bonds would carry a lower rating and a much higher coupon because of the possibility of financial distress and the associated costs would rise sharply. Stephenson has a 40 percent corporate tax rate.

1) What after-tax cash flow must Stephenson be currently producing per year, assuming that its current cash flows remain constant each year?

2) Construct Stephenson’s market value balance sheet before it announces the purchase. Market value balance sheet Debt Existing Assets Equity Total assets Total Debt + Equity

3) Suppose Stephenson decided to issue equity to finance the purchase.

a) What is the net present value of the land acquisition project?

b) Construct Stephenson’s market value balance sheet after it announces that the firm will finance the purchase using equity. (Assume that the value of the firm will immediately change to reflect the NPV of the new project.)

Market value balance sheet:

Old assets=

Debt=

NPV of project=

Equity=

Total assets=

Total Debt + Equity =

c) What would be the new price per share of the firm’s stock? How many shares will Stephenson need to issue to finance the purchase?

d) Construct Stephenson’s market value balance sheet after the equity issue, but before the purchase has been made. How many shares of common stock does Stephenson have outstanding? What is the price per share of the firm’s stock?

Market Value Balance Sheet:

Cash=

Old assets=

Debt=

NPV of project=

Equity=

Total assets=

Total Debt + Equity=

e) What is Stephenson’s weighted average cost of capital after the acquisition? What after-tax cash flow will be produced annually after the acquisition? What is the present value of this stream of after-tax cash flow? What is the stock price after the acquisition? Does this agree with your previous calculations?

4) Suppose Stephenson decides to issue debt to finance the purchase. a) What will be the market value of the Stephenson company be if the purchase is financed with debt?

b) Construct Stephenson’s market value balance sheet after both the debt issue and the land purchase. What is the price per share of the firm’s stock? Market Value Balance Sheet Value unlevered Debt Tax shield Equity Total assets Total Debt + Equity

c) What is Stephenson’s cost of equity if it goes forward with the debt issue? (Do not round your answer.)

d) What is Stephenson’s weighted average cost of capital if it goes forward with the debt issue? (Do not round your answer.)

e) What total after-tax cash flow is being generated by Stephenson after the acquisition?

f) What is the present value of this after-tax cash flow? What is the market value of equity? What is the stock price? Does this agree with your work from parts (a) and (b)?

5) Which method of financing maximizes the per-share price of Stephenson’s equity?

6) Does the resultant capital structure (with the land acquisition financed by debt) satisfy Jennifer’s concerns about the negative effects of moving beyond the optimal capital structure?

Jen and Larry’s Frozen Yogurt Company

     In 2019, Jennifer (Jen) Liu and Larry Mestas founded Jean and Larry’s Frozen Yogurt Company, which was based on the idea of applying the microbrew or microbatch strategy to the production and sale of frozen yogurt. Jen and Larry began producing small quantities of unique flavors and blends in limited editions. Revenues were $600,000 in 2019 and were estimated to be $1.2 million in 2020.

     Because Jen and Larry were selling premium frozen yogurt containing premium ingredients, each small cup of yogurt sold for $3, and the cost of producing the frozen yogurt averaged $1.50 per cup. Administrative expenses, including Jen and Larry’s salary and expenses for an accountant and two other administrative staff, were estimated at $180,000 in 2020. Marketing expenses, largely in the form of behind-the-counter workers, in-store posters, and advertising in local newspapers, were projected to be $200,000 in 2020.

     An investment in bricks and mortar was necessary to make and sell the yogurt. Initial specialty equipment and the renovation of an old warehouse building in lower downtown (known as LoDo) occurred at the beginning of 2019. Additional equipment needed to make the amount of yogurt forecasted to be sold in 2020 was purchased at the beginning of 2020. As a result, depreciation expenses were expected to be $50,000 in 2020. Interest expenses were estimated at $15,000 in 2020. The average tax rate was expected to be 25% of taxable income.

1. Refer to the Mini Case above involving Jen and Larry’s Frozen Yogurt Company.
   1. Calculate the dollar amount of NOPAT if Jen and Larry’s venture achieves the forecasted $1.2 million in sales in 2020. What would NOPAT be as a percent of sales?
   2. Calculate the NOPAT breakeven point for 2020 in terms of NOPAT breakeven revenues for Jen and Larry’s venture. How many cups of frozen yogurt would have to be sold to reach NOPAT breakeven?

Jen and Larry’s Frozen Yogurt Company

     In 2019, Jennifer (Jen) Liu and Larry Mestas founded Jean and Larry’s Frozen Yogurt Company, which was based on the idea of applying the microbrew or microbatch strategy to the production and sale of frozen yogurt. Jen and Larry began producing small quantities of unique flavors and blends in limited editions. Revenues were $600,000 in 2019 and were estimated to be $1.2 million in 2020.

     Because Jen and Larry were selling premium frozen yogurt containing premium ingredients, each small cup of yogurt sold for $3, and the cost of producing the frozen yogurt averaged $1.50 per cup. Administrative expenses, including Jen and Larry’s salary and expenses for an accountant and two other administrative staff, were estimated at $180,000 in 2020. Marketing expenses, largely in the form of behind-the-counter workers, in-store posters, and advertising in local newspapers, were projected to be $200,000 in 2020.

     An investment in bricks and mortar was necessary to make and sell the yogurt. Initial specialty equipment and the renovation of an old warehouse building in lower downtown (known as LoDo) occurred at the beginning of 2019. Additional equipment needed to make the amount of yogurt forecasted to be sold in 2020 was purchased at the beginning of 2020. As a result, depreciation expenses were expected to be $50,000 in 2020. Interest expenses were estimated at $15,000 in 2020. The average tax rate was expected to be 25% of taxable income.

1. Jen and Larry believe that under a worst-case scenario, yogurt revenues would be at the 2019 level of $600,00 even after plans and expenditures were put in place to increase revenues in 2020. What would happen to the venture’s EBDAT?
2. Jen and Larry also believe that, under optimistic conditions, yogurt revenues could reach $1.5 million in 2020. Show what would happen to the venture’s EBDAT if this were to happen.