Traditional Discount rate or WACC (I)

Traditional Method: Discount rate or Weighted average cost of capital (WACC)

To the risk-free is added an amount reflecting risks associated with a particular investment. This produces the discount rate to apply to determine the present value of an asset.

For a business with debt and equity in its capital structure, this is commonly called the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). It is the proportional cost of a company’s debt, determined by the after-tax interest cost, and the cost of equity, determined by a more judgment –laden but conceptually identical inquiry.

The cost of equity is conceptually identical to the cost of debt because they involve the same question:

• What must the company pay to induce investment, whether from debt lenders or equity holders?

The cost-of-equity exercise is more judgment-laden than the cost-of-debt exercise because there are no maturity dates or set coupons on equity (dividends are payable solely in the corporate board’s discretion).

The key reference is what other capital market participants are paying investors to attract equity financing form enterprises of comparable risk.

• To estimate the cost of equity capital for high-risk venture capital projects, for example, one could consult the returns offered by venture capitalists in such enterprises.
• For low-risk enterprises, underwritten secondary public offerings of blue-chip companies can be examined.

Also read:

1. Understanding Discount Rates
2. Risk-free rate
3. Traditional Method: Discount rate or WACC (I)
4. Traditional Method: Discount rate or WACC (II)
5. Modern Portfolio Theory
6. Portfolio Theory: Market Risk Premiums
7. Portfolio Theory: Beta
8. Is the market efficient, always?
9. Discount Rate Determinations: Summary