Exam 15: Dividends

Toombs Media Corp. recently completed a 3-for-1 stock split. Prior to the split, its stock sold for $90 per share. The firm's total market value was unchanged by the split. Other things held constant, what is the best estimate of the stock's post-split price?

Your firm adheres strictly to the residual dividend model. All else equal, which of the following factors would be most likely to lead to an increase in the firm's dividend per share?

Mortal Inc. expects to have a capital budget of $500,000 next year. The company wants to maintain a target capital structure with 30% debt and 70% equity, and its forecasted net income is $400,000. If the company follows the residual dividend model, how much in dividends, if any, will it pay?

Underlying the dividend irrelevance theory proposed by Miller and Modigliani is their argument that the value of the firm is determined only by its basic earning power and its business risk.

Fauver Industries plans to have a capital budget of $650,000. It wants to maintain a target capital structure of 40% debt and 60% equity, and it also wants to pay a dividend of $225,000. If the company follows the residual dividend model, how much net income must it earn to meet its investment requirements, pay the dividend, and keep the capital structure in balance?

Which of the following actions will best enable a company to raise additional equity capital, other things held constant?

Suppose you plotted a curve which showed a Firm U's WACC on the vertical axis and its debt ratio on the horizontal axis. Then you plotted a similar curve for Firm V. The curve for firm U resembled a shallow "U," while that for Firm V resembled a sharp "V." Both firms have debt ratios that cause their WACCs to be minimized. Other things held constant, it would be easier for Firm V than for Firm U to maintain a steady dividend in the face of varying investment opportunities and earnings from year to year.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

Myron Gordon and John Lintner believe that the required return on equity increases as the dividend payout ratio is lowered. Their argument is based on the assumption that

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

If a firm pays out all of its earnings as dividends and its stockholders then elect to have all of their dividends reinvested, the company should reconsider its dividend policy and possibly move to a lower dividend payout ratio.

One implication of the bird-in-the-hand theory of dividends is that a given reduction in dividend yield must be offset by a more than proportionate increase in growth in order to keep a firm's required return constant, other things held constant.

Sheehan Corp. is forecasting an EPS of $3.00 for the coming year on its 500,000 outstanding shares of stock. Its capital budget is forecasted at $800,000, and it is committed to maintaining a $2.00 dividend per share. It finances with debt and common equity, but it wants to avoid issuing any new common stock during the coming year. Given these constraints, what percentage of the capital budget must be financed with debt?

If a retired individual lives on his or her investment income, then it would make sense for this person to prefer stocks with high payouts so he or she could receive cash without going to the trouble and expense of selling stocks. On the other hand, it would make sense for an individual who would just reinvest any dividends received to prefer a low-payout company because that would save him or her taxes and brokerage costs.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

Portland Plastics Inc. has the following data. If it follows the residual dividend model, what is its forecasted dividend payout ratio? Capital budget $12,500 % Debt 40% Net income (NI) $11,500

Miller and Modigliani's dividend irrelevance theory says that the percentage of its earnings a firm pays out in dividends has no effect on either its cost of capital or its stock price.

If on January 3, 2012, a company declares a dividend of $1.50 per share, payable on January 31, 2012, to holders of record on January 19, then the price of the stock should drop by approximately $1.50 on January 17, which is the ex-dividend date.

You own 100 shares of Troll Brothers' stock, which currently sells for $120 a share. The company is about to declare a 2-for-1 stock split. Which of the following best describes your likely position after the split?

The optimal distribution policy strikes that balance between current dividends and capital gains that maximizes the firm's stock price.