Biller Industries plc is a global haulage equipment and scaffolding manufacturer. The company has never borrowed before
Question:
Biller Industries plc is a global haulage equipment and scaffolding manufacturer. The company has never borrowed before but feels that in order to maximize growth and increase value, a debt issue is required. Currently the firm has 50 million shares outstanding with a share price of £1.50. The profit before taxes is forecasted to be £25 million pounds. Biller Industries requires £30 million to fund their expansion plans. The firm feels that they could borrow £45 million and use the additional £15 million to also buy back shares in the company. The corporate tax rate is 23%.
a. Determine the expected earnings per share for the company before and after the debt issue.
b. Using your answer to part a., discuss the use of earnings per share as a basis for financial decision taking.
c. Determine the value of Biller Industries plc after restructuring and the value of its equity using the Modigliani-Miller model with corporate taxes.
d. Determine the cost of equity for Biller Industries plc before the debt issue. What two further pieces of information would be required to determine the cost of equity for Biller Industries plc after the debt issue.