Quisco Systems has 6.5 billion shares outstanding and a share price of $18. Quisco is considering developing a new networking product in house at a cost of $500 million. Alternatively, Quisco can acquire a firm that already has the technology for $900 million worth (at the current price) of Quisco stock. Suppose that absent the expense of the new technology, Quisco will have EPS of $0.80.
a. Suppose Quisco develops the product in house. What impact would the development cost have on Quisco’s EPS? Assume all costs are incurred this year and are treated as an R&D expense, Quisco’s tax rate is 35%, and the number of shares outstanding is unchanged.
b. Suppose Quisco does not develop the product in house but instead acquires the technology. What effect would the acquisition have on Quisco’s EPS this year?
c. Which method of acquiring the technology has a smaller impact on earnings? Is this method cheaper? Explain.