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CIMA F3 Financial Strategy Exam Practice Test

Demo: 130 questions
Total 435 questions

Financial Strategy Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a share repurchase?

Options:

A.

To return surplus cash to shareholders by avoiding a one-off dividend

B.

To allow investors to sell shares if no active market currently exists

C.

To reduce the cost of capital of a company by increasing the gearing level.

D.

To enable the company to retain cash in the business for reinvestment

Question 2

A company is based in Country Y whose functional currency is Y$. It has an investment in Country Z whose functional currency is Z$.

This year the company expects to generate Z$ 10 million profit after tax.

Tax Regime:

   • Corporate income tax rate in country Y is 50%

   • Corporate income tax rate in country Z is 20%

   • Full double tax relief is available

Assume an exchange rate of Y$ 1 = Z$ 5.

 

What is the expected profit after tax in Y$ if the Z$ profit is remitted to Country Y?

Options:

A.

Y$ 1.25 million

B.

Y$ 1.00 million

C.

Y$ 31.25 million

D.

Y$ 4.00 million

Question 3

A company is currently all-equity financed with a cost of equity of 8%. 

It plans to raise debt with a pre-tax cost of 4% in order to buy back equity shares.

After the buy-back, the debt-to-equity ratio at market values will be 1 to 2.

The corporate income tax rate is 30%.

 

Which of the following represents the company's cost of equity after the buy-back according to Modigliani and Miller's Theory of Capital Structure with taxes?

Options:

A.

9.4%

B.

8%

C.

13.6%

D.

9.8%

Question 4

Company RRR is a well-established, unlisted, road freight company.

In recent years RRR has come under pressure to improve its customer service and has had some success in doing this However, the cost of improved service levels has resulted in it making small losses in its latest financial year. This is the first time RRR has not been profitable.

RRR uses a 'residual' dividend policy and has paid dividends twice in the last 10 years.

Which of the following methods would be most appropriate for valuing RRR?

Options:

A.

Valuing the tangible assets and intangible assets of RRR.

B.

The P/E method, adjusting the P/E of a listed company downwards to reflect RRR's unlisted status.

C.

The earnings yield method, adjusting the earnings yield of a listed company downwards to reflect RRR's unlisted status.

D.

The dividend valuation model.

Question 5

Company AAB is located in Country A with the A$ as its functional currency It plans to grow by acquisition and has identified Company BBA as a potential takeover candidate Company BBA is located in Country B with the BS as its functional currency.

The directors of Company AAB are concerned about foreign currency risk if the acquisition goes ahead

Which of the following will be most effective in reducing Company AAB's exposure to translation risk if the acquisition is successful1?

Options:

A.

Financing the acquisition with equity in A$’s.

B.

Setting up a mufti-currency bank account to net-off receipts and payments

C.

Financing the acquisition with borrowings in BS's

D.

Using forward contracts to fix the exchange rate between the AS and the B$

Question 6

Extracts from a company's profit forecast for the next financial year is as follows:

Since preparing the forecast, the company has decided to return surplus cash to shareholders by a share repurchase arrangement.

The share repurchase would result in the company purchasing 20% of the 2,000 million ordinary shares currently in issue and cancelling them.

Assuming the share repurchase went ahead, the impact on the company's forecast earnings per share will be an increase of:

Options:

A.

$0,050

B.

$0,125

C.

$0,100

D.

$0,075

Question 7

An aerospace company is planning to diversify into car manufacturing. 

 

Relevant data:

  

What is the the cost of equity to be used in the WACC for the project appraisal?

 

Give your answer in percentage, as a whole number.

 

Options:

Question 8

A manufacturing company based in Country R. where the currency is the R$, has an objective of maintaining an operating profit margin of at least 10% each year

Relevant data:

• The company makes sales to Country S whose currency is the SS It also makes sales to Country T whose currency is the T$ " All purchases are from Country U whose currency is the US.

• The settlement of an transactions is in the currency of the customer or supplier

Which of the following changes would be most likely to help the company achieve its objective?

Options:

A.

The T$ weakens against the R$ over time

B.

The R$ strengthens against the S$ over time.

C.

The R$ strengthens against the U$ over time.

D.

The R$ weakens against the U$ over time

Question 9

Which TWO of the following statements about debt instruments are correct?

Options:

A.

A zero coupon will eliminate the tax shield effect on debt payments.

B.

Changes in corporation tax rates will have no effect on the tax shield of fixed rate debentures.

C.

The true cost of servicing debt instruments to the company is the post-tax cost of debt.

D.

If corporation tax rates rise, the tax shield effect on debenture interest will be reduced.

Question 10

A company proposes to value itself based on the net present value of estimated future cash flows.

 

Relevant data:

   • The cash flow for the next three years is expected to be £100 million each year

   • The cash flow after year 3 will grow at 2% to perpetuity

   • The cost of capital is 12%

The value of the company to the nearest $ million is:

Options:

A.

$966 million

B.

$1,260 million

C.

$889 million

D.

$834 million

Question 11

Company WWW is identical in all operating and risk characteristics to Company ZZZ. but their capital structures differ. Company WWW and Company ZZZ both pay corporate income tax at 20%

Company WWW has a gearing ratio (debt: equity) of 1:3 Its pre-tax cost of debt is 6%.

Company ZZZ Is all-equity financed. Its cost of equity is 15%

What is the cost of equity tor Company WWW?

Options:

A.

17.0%

B.

18.0%

C.

17.4%

D.

17.7%

Question 12

VVV has a floating rate loan that it wishes to replace with a fixed rate. The cost of the existing loan is the risk-free rate + 3%. VW would have to pay a fixed rate of 7% on a fixed rate loan VVVs bank has found a potential counterparty for a swap arrangement.

The counterparty wishes to raise a variable rate loan It would pay the risk-free rate +1 % on a variable rate loan and 8% on a fixed rate.

The bank will require 10% of the savings from the swap and WV and the counterparty will share the remaining saving equally.

Calculate VWs effective rate of interest from this swap arrangement.

Options:

A.

VVV would pay 5.2%

B.

VVV would pay 5.65%

C.

VVV would pay the risk-free rate + 1 %

D.

VVV would pay 5.5%

Question 13

A company has in a 5% corporate bond in issue on which there are two loan covenants.

   • Interest cover must not fall below 3 times

   • Retained earnings for the year must not fall below $3.5 million

The Company has 200 million shares in issue.

The most recent dividend per share was $0.04.

The Company intends increasing dividends by 10% next year.

 

Financial projections for next year are as follows:

 

Advise the Board of Directors which of the following will be the status of compliance with the loan covenants next year?

Options:

A.

The company will be in compliance with both covenants.

B.

The company will be in breach of both covenants.

C.

The company will breach the covenant in respect of retained earnings only.

D.

The company will be in breach of the covenant in respect of interest cover only.

Question 14

A company's gearing (measured as debt/(debt + equity)) is currently 60% and it is investigating whether an optimal gearing structure exists within the industry.

It has analysed the capital structure of similar companies in the industry and it would appear that there is evidence supporting the traditional theory of capital structure.

Companies with the lowest WACC in the industry have gearing of around 45% to 50%.

 

Which of the following actions would result in the company achieving a more optimal capital structure?

Options:

A.

Undertaking a rights issue of equity to repay some of its debt.

B.

Refinancing to replace some of its short term debt with long term debt.

C.

Increasing the level of dividend to return more cash to shareholders.

D.

Using retained cash to undertake a buyback of some of its equity.

Question 15

A company enters into a floating rate borrowing with interest due every 12 months over the five year life of the borrowing. 

At the same time, the company arranges an interest rate swap to swap the interest profile on the borrowing from floating to fixed rate. 

These transactions are designated as a hedge for hedge accounting purposes under IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

 

Assuming the hedge is considered to be effective, how would the swap be accounted for 12 months later? 

Options:

A.

The swap would be shown at nominal value in the statement of financial position and the change in value posted to other comprehensive income.

B.

The swap would be shown at nominal value in the statement of financial position and the change in value posted to profit or loss.

C.

The swap would be shown at fair value the statement of financial position and the change in value posted to other comprehensive income.

D.

The swap would be shown at fair value the statement of financial position and the change in value posted to profit or loss.

Question 16

A company's Board of Directors is assessing the likely impact of financing future new projects using either equity or debt.

The directors are uncertain of the effects on key variables.

 

Which THREE of the following statements are true?

Options:

A.

The choice between using either equity or debt will have no impact on the amount of corporate income tax payable.

B.

Retained earnings has no cost, and is therefore the cheapest form of equity finance.

C.

Debt finance is always preferable to equity finance.

D.

Debt finance will increase the cost of equity.

E.

Equity finance will reduce the overall financial risk.

F.

Equity finance will increase pressure to pay a higher total future dividend.

Question 17

A company with 4 million shares in issue wishes to raise $4 million by means of a rights issue

The share price prior to the rights issue is $5.00.

Under the rights issue, 1 million new shares will be issued at $4.00.

When the rights issue is announced it is expected that the Theoretical Ex-rights Price (TERP) will be $4.80

The directors of the company are considering offering any shareholder who does not wish to take up the rights the opportunity to sell the rights back to the company for $1.00.

Which of the following is the most likely consequence of the directors offer?

Options:

A.

It will have no effect on the take up of the rights because shareholder wealth will be the same whether the rights are taken up or sold back to the company

B.

The directors offer will increase demand for the shares and as a consequence the share price will rise above the theoretical ex-rights price.

C.

It will encourage more shareholders to sell their lights on the open market.

D.

It will result in fewer shareholders taking up the rights and as a consequence less cash will be raised from the rights issue

Question 18

Company Z has identified four potential acquisition targets: companies A, B, C and D.

Company Z has a current equity market value of $590 million.

The price it would have to pay for the equity of each company is as follows:

Only one of the target companies can be acquired and the consideration will be paid in cash.

The following estimations of the new combined value of Company Z have been prepared for each acquisition before deduction of the cash consideration:

Ignoring any premium paid on acquisition, which acquisition should the directors pursue?

Options:

A.

A

B.

B

C.

C

D.

D

Question 19

A venture capitalist is considering investing in a management buy-out that would be financed as follows:

• Equity from managers

• Equity from a venture capitalist

• Mezzanine debt finance from a venture capitalist

• Senior debt from a bank

The venture capitalist is planning to work with the management to grow the business in anticipation of an initial public offering within five years.

However, the cash forecast shows a potential shortage of funds in the first year and the venture capitalist is evaluating the potential impact of cash being generated in the first year being significantly lower than forecast.

The most important risk that a shortage of cash would create for the management buyout is that the new company has insufficient funds to:

Options:

A.

pay interest on bank debt finance.

B.

pay contractual director bonuses.

C.

pay dividends to venture capitalist.

D.

invest in new capital projects required to generate growth.

Question 20

A company's annual dividend has grown steadily at an annual rate of 3% for many years. It has a cost of equity of 11%. The share price is presently $64.38.

 

The company is about to announce its latest dividend, which is expected to be $5.00 per share.

 

The Board of Directors is considering an attractive investment opportunity that would have to be funded by reducing the dividend to $4.50 per share. The board expects the project to enable future dividends to grow by 5% every year and the cost of equity to remain unchanged.

 

Calculate the change in share price, assuming that the directors announce their intention to proceed with this investment opportunity.

 

Give your answer to 2 decimal places.

 

 $ ?   

 

Options:

Question 21

PPP's home currency is the PS. An overseas customer is due to make a payment of A$5,000,000 to PPP in 3 months. The present spot rate is 1PS = 5A$. P can obtain an interest rate of 4% per year on P$ deposits and 6% per year on AS deposits.

Forecast the value of the customer's payment to PPP, in PS, when the payment is made in 3 months' time.

Give your answer to the nearest thousand PS.

Options:

Question 22

Company A plans to diversify by a cash acquisition of Company B an unlisted company in another country (Country B) which operates in a different industrial sector

Company A already manufactures its product in Country B and has a loan denominated in Country B's currency

Company A regularly suffers foreign exchange losses due to volatility in the exchange rate between the two countries' currencies in recent years.

Which THREE of the following appear to be be valid justifications of this diversification decision?

Options:

A.

The diversification will give Company A protection from political risk

B.

The diversification into another product market will lower business risk

C.

The diversification will give Company A greater protection from transaction risk.

D.

The diversification will give Company A greater protection from translation risk

E.

The diversification will enable Company A to enjoy production scale economies

Question 23

Company HJK is planning to bid for listed company BNM

Financial data for BNM for the financial year ended 31 December 20X1:

HJK is not forecasting any growth in these figures for the foreseeable future

Profit and cost data above should be assumed to be equivalent to cash flow data when answenng this question

Which THREE of the following approaches would be most appropriate for HJK to use to value the equity of BNM?

Options:

A.

Cash flows of S24 million discounted at the cost of equity

B.

Share price x number of shares in issue plus retained profits

C.

Cash flows of S14 million discounted at the cost of equity

D.

Share price x number of shares in issue

E.

Cash flows of $30 million (= S40 million net of tax at 25%) discounted at WACC minus the value of debt

Question 24

A national airline has made an offer to acquire a smaller airline in the same country.

 

Which of the following would be of most concern to the competition authorities?

Options:

A.

After the acquisition the board propose to reduce the number of  flight destinations from the country.

B.

The board informed a major institutional shareholder about the proposed acquisition before informing other shareholders.

C.

After the acquisition the board propose to increase prices significantly on routes where no other airlines operate.

D.

The acquisition is likely to result in significant redundancies of staff currently working for the smaller airline. 

Question 25

Company X plans to acquire Company Y.

 

Pre-acquisition information:

 

 

Post-acquisition information:

Total combined earnings are expected to increase by 10%

Total combined P/E multiple will remain at 10 times

 

Which of the following share-for-share exchanges will result in an increase of 10% in Company X's share price post-acquisition?

Options:

A.

1 share in Company X for 2.75 shares in Company Y

B.

3 shares in Company X for 5 shares in Company Y

C.

2 shares in Company X for 1 shares in Company Y

D.

1 share in Company X for 2 shares in Company Y

Question 26

On 1 January 20X1, a company had:

• Cost of equity of 10 0%.

• Cost of debt of 5.0%

• Debt of $100Mmilion

• 100 million $1 shares trading at $4.00 each.

On 1 February 20X1:

• The company's share police fell to $3.00.

• Debt and the cost of debt remained unchanged

The company does not pay tax.

Under Modigliani and Miller's theory without lax. what is the best estimate of the movement in the cost of equity as a result of the fall in ne share price?

Options:

A.

It will stay the same at 10.0%.

B.

It will rise to 10.3%.

C.

It will fall to 9.3%.

D.

It will rise to 11.2%.

Question 27

Where a company acquires another company, which THREE of the following offer the greatest potential for enhancing shareholder wealth?

Options:

A.

Achieving greater cultural diversity

B.

Achieving more press coverage for the company

C.

Creating new opportunities for employees.

D.

Exploiting production synergies.

E.

Elimination of existing competition.

F.

Acquiring intellectual property assets

Question 28

Two listed companies in the same industry are joining together through a merger.

 

What are the likely outcomes that will occur after the merger has happened? 

Select ALL that apply.

Options:

A.

Increase in customer base.

B.

Competition authorities step in to stop a potential price monopoly.

C.

Decrease in employee motivation due to internal changes.

D.

Changes to supplier relationships owing to internal changes.

E.

Cost savings from synergistic benefits and economies of scale.

Question 29

Company M is a geared company whose equity has a market value of $1,500 million and debt has a market value of S300 million. The company plans to issue $200 million of new shares and use the funds raised to pay off some of the debt

Company M currently has a cost of equity of 13% and a WACC of 10% It pays corporate tax at the rate of 30% Company B, an ungeared company operating in the same business sector as Company M, has a cost of equity of 12%

Assume Modigliani and Miller's theory of capital structure with tax applies

Which calculation below shows the correct approach to calculating the new WACC following the planned changes in capital structure?

A

B

C

D

Options:

Question 30

An unlisted company wishes to obtain an estimated value for its shares in anticipation of a private sale of a large parcel of shares.

 

Relevant data for the unlisted company:

   • It has a residual dividend policy. 

   • It has earnings that are highly sensitive to underlying economic conditions.

   • It is a small business in a large industry where there are listed companies but there are none with a similar capital structure. 

 

The company intends to base valuations on the cost of equity of a proxy company after adjusting for any differences in capital structure where appropriate.

 

Which of the following methods is likely to give the most accurate equity value for this unlisted company?

Options:

A.

Dividend valuation model.

B.

Discounted cash flow analysis at WACC based on free cash flow to equity. 

C.

Net asset valuation.

D.

P/E based valuation using the P/E of a similar listed company in the same industry.

Question 31

G purchased a put option that grants the right to cap the interest on a loan at 10.0%. Simultaneously, G sold a call option that grants the holder the benefits of any decrease if interest rates fall below 8.5%.

Which THREE possible explanations would be consistent with G's behavior?

Options:

A.

G is willing to risk the loss of savings from a fall in interest rates if that offsets the cost of limiting the cost of rises.

B.

G's strategy is to ensure that its interest rates lie between 8.5% and 10.0%.

C.

G is concerned that interest rates may rise above 10.0%.

D.

G is concerned that interest rates may rise above 8.5%.

E.

G is concerned that interest rates may fall below 10%.

Question 32

Providers of debt finance often insist on covenants being entered into when providing debt finance for companies.

Agreement and adherence to the specific covenants is often a condition of the loan provided by the lender.

 

Which THREE of the following statements are true in respect of covenants?

Options:

A.

Covenants are entered into to penalise the company.  

B.

Covenants are entered into to give the lender added protection on the loan extended to the company.

C.

Covenants are entered into to impose financial discipline on the company.

D.

Covenants enable the lender to demand immediate repayment or to renegotiate terms if it is breached. 

E.

Covenants are entered into to eliminate the tax liability of the company.

Question 33

Company E is a listed company. Its directors are valuing a smaller listed company, Company F, as a possible acquisition.

The two companies operate in the same markets and have the same business risk.

Relevant data on the two companies is as follows:

  

Both companies are wholly equity financed and both pay corporate tax at 30%.

The directors of Company E believe they can "bootstrap" Company F's earnings to improve performance.

Calculate the maximum price that Company E should offer to Company F's shareholders to acquire the company.

 

Give your answer to the nearest $million.

 

Options:

A.

3,150

B.

1,890

C.

4,500

D.

2,700

Question 34

Which THREE of the following long term changes are most likely to increase the credit rating of a company?

Options:

A.

An increase in the interest cover ratio.

B.

A decrease in the (Net debt) / (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio.

C.

An increase in the free cashflow generated from operations.

D.

A decrease in the (Book value of debt) / (Book value of equity) ratio.

E.

A decrease in the dividend cover ratio.

Question 35

A company has some 7% coupon bonds in issue and wishes to change its interest rate profile.  

It has decided to do this by entering into a plain coupon interest rate swap with it's bank.

 

The bank has quoted a swap rate of:      6.0% - 6.5% fixed against LIBOR.

 

What will the company's new interest rate profile be?

Options:

A.

VARIABLE at LIBOR

B.

VARIABLE at LIBOR + 0.5%

C.

VARIABLE at LIBOR + 1.0%

D.

FIXED at 6.5%

Question 36

The long-term prospects for inflation in the UK and the USA are 1% and 4% per annum respectively.

The GBP/USD spot rate is currently GBP/USD1.40

Using purchasing power parity theory, what GBP/USD spot rate would you expect to see in six months’ time?

Options:

A.

GBP/USD1.38

B.

GBP/USD1.44

C.

GBP/USD1.42

D.

GBP/USD1.36

Question 37

Company A is planning to acquire Company B by means of a cash offer. The directors of Company B are prepared to recommend acceptance if a bid price can be agreed. Estimates of the net present value (NPV) of future cash flows for the two companies and the combined group post acquisition have been prepared by Company A’s accountant. There are as follows:

What is the maximum price that Company A should offer for the shares in Company B?

Give your answer to the nearest $ million

Options:

Question 38

A company intends to sell one of its business units, Company R by a management buyout (MBO).

A selling price of $100 million has been agreed.

The managers are discussing with a bank and a venture capital company (VCC) the following financing proposal:

  

The VCC requires a minimum return on its equity investment in the MBO of 30% a year on a compound basis over 5 years.

 

What is the minimum TOTAL equity value of Company R in 5 years time in order to meet the VCC's required return?

 

Give your answer to one decimal place.

 

$  ? million 

Options:

Question 39

A product costs USD10 when purchased in the USA. The same product costs USD12 when it is purchased in the UK and the price in GBP is convened to USD.

Which of the following statement concerning purchasing power parity is correct?

Options:

A.

Economic forces will bring the prices in the USA and UK into line.

B.

The exchange rate between the USD and GBP will change so that tie price differential on this product (and at other products) I s eliminated.

C.

Economic forces should eliminate the price difference. But there could be market imperfections that permit it to persist.

D.

This type of price deferential is a reliable baas for predicting currency movements

Question 40

Which of the following statements about companies seeking a stock market listing is correct?

Options:

A.

A listing may make it harder for a company to raise money from its existing lenders.

B.

The enhanced reputation of the company can improve its credit rating reducing the risk of non-payment to suppliers and lenders.

C.

When a company seeks a listing this may unsettle its staff, potentially resulting in a loss of valued employees.

D.

A listing will require the owners to either sell a majority of their shares, or, if they retain their shares, to step down from the board.

Question 41

The primary objective of a public sector entity is to ensure value for money is generated.

Value for money is defined as performing an activity so as to simultaneously achieve economy, efficiency and effectiveness

Efficiency is defined as:

Options:

A.

spending funds so as to achieve the objectives of the entity.

B.

performing activities in the least amount of time possible

C.

obtaining maximum output from minimum inputs

D.

obtaining quality inputs at minimum cost.

Question 42

The Senior Management Team of ABC, an owner-managed, capital intensive start-up engineering business, is considering the options for its dividend policy. It has so far been a successful business and is expanding quickly Once in place, the Senior Management Team anticipates that its current investment plans will yield returns for many years to come The first agenda item at every meeting currently concerns arranging and funding new equipment and premises.

Which of the following dividend policies is likely to be the most suitable?

Options:

A.

Constant growth

B.

Residual policy.

C.

Zero dividend

D.

A constant pay-out ratio

Question 43

A listed company with a growing share price plans to finance a four-year research project with debt. 

The main criterion for the finance is to minimise the annual cashflow payments on the debt.

The research will be sold at the end of the project.

 

Which of the following would be the most suitable financing method for the company?

 

Options:

A.

Bonds with warrants

B.

Finance lease

C.

Standard bonds

D.

Bank loan

Question 44

Company W has received an unwelcome takeover bid from Company B. The offer is a share exchange of 3 shares in Company B for 5 shares in Company Wora cash alternative of $5.70 for each Company W share.

Company B is approximately twice the size of Company W based on market capitalisation. Although the two companies have some common business interested the main aim of the bid is diversification for Company B.

Company W has substantial cash balances which the directors were planning to use to fund an acquisition. These plans have not been announced to the market.

The following share price information is relevant.

Which of the following would be the most appropriate action by Company W's directors following receipt of this hostile bid?

Options:

A.

Change the Articles of Association to increase the percentage of shareholder votes required to approve a takeover.

B.

Refer the bid to the country's competition authorities.

C.

Write to shareholders explaining fully why the company's share price is under valued.

D.

Pay a one-off special dividend.

Question 45

A company is planning to issue a 5 year $100 million bond at a fixed rate of 6%.

 

It is also considering whether or not to enter into a 10 year $100 million swap to receive 5% fixed and pay Libor + 1% once a year.

 

The company predicts that Libor will be 4% over the life of the 5 years.

 

What is the impact of the swap on the company's annual interest cost assuming that the Libor prediction is correct?  

Options:

A.

Increase by 1%.

B.

Fall by 1%. 

C.

Remain the same.

D.

Fall by 2%.

Question 46

Using the CAPM, the expected return for a company is 10%. The market return is 7% and the risk free rate is 1%.

 What does the beta factor used in this calculation indicate about the risk of the company?

Options:

A.

It has greater risk than the average market risk.

B.

It has lower risk than the average market risk.

C.

It has the same risk as the average market risk.

D.

It is not possible to tell from CAPM.

Question 47

Company A plans to acquire Company B.

Both firms operate as wholesalers in the fashion industry, supplying a wide range of ladies' clothing shops.

Company A sources mainly from the UK, Company B imports most of its supplies from low-income overseas countries.

Significant synergies are expected in management costs and warehousing, and in economies of bulk purchasing.

 

Which of the following is likely to be the single most important issue facing Company A in post-merger integration?

Options:

A.

Identifying and removing surplus staff.

B.

Understanding the management information system of the acquired firm.

C.

Discussions with representatives from key customer accounts.

D.

Discussions with anti-poverty campaigning groups.

Question 48

A company is financed as follows:

   • 400 million $1 shares quoted at $3.00 each.

   • $800 million 5% bonds quoted at par.

The company plans to raise $200 million long term debt to finance a project with a net present value of $100 million.

The bank that is providing the debt is insisting on a maximum gearing level covenant.  

Gearing will be based on market values and calculated as debt/(debt + equity).

 

What is the lowest figure for the gearing covenant that the bank could impose without the company breaching the agreement?

Options:

A.

43%

B.

44%

C.

45%

D.

46%

Question 49

A company is wholly equity funded. It has the following relevant data:

   • Dividend just paid $4 million

   • Dividend growth rate is constant at 5%

   • The risk free rate is 4%

   • The market premium is 7%

   • The company's equity beta factor is 1.2

Calculate the value of the company using the Dividend Growth Model.

Give your answer in $ million to 2 decimal places.

$ ?  million

Options:

Question 50

A company's Board of Directors is considering raising a long-term bank loan incorporating a number of covenants.

The Board members are unsure what loan covenants involve. 

 

Which THREE of the following statements regarding loan covenants are true?

Options:

A.

A positive loan covenant would require the company to undertake specific actions.

B.

A loan covenant has no contractually binding obligations.

C.

A restrictive covenant prohibits the company from conducting certain actions without the approval of the lending institution.

D.

A covenant gives the financial institution the right but not the obligation to convert debt into equity in a case of non-compliance. 

E.

A financial covenant usually requires the company to adhere to specific financial conditions or targets.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is true of a spin-off (or demerger)?

Options:

A.

Raises finance to fund new projects.

B.

Changes the ownership structure of the core entity by introducing new shareholders. 

C.

Allows investors to identify the true value of the demerged business.

D.

Increases the risk of a takeover bid for the core entity.

Question 52

Which THREE of the following remain unchanged over the life of a 10 year fixed rate bond?

Options:

A.

The coupon rate

B.

The yield

C.

The market value

D.

The nominal value

E.

The amount payable on maturity

Question 53

MAN is a manufacturing company that is based in country M and sells almost exclusively to customers in country M, priced in the local currency, M$.

 

MAN wishes to expand the business by acquiring a company that manufactures similar products but has a more global customer base. It is particularly interested in selling to customers in country P, which uses currency P$ but recognises that the P$ is generally quite volatile against the M$.

 

Country P uses the same language as country M, has free entry of labour from country M, no exchange controls or withholding tax and a favourable double tax treaty.

 

Which of the following companies would be most suitable takeover candidates for MAN to investigate further?

Options:

A.

A company based in country M with a global customer base including country P.

B.

A company based in country P with a global customer base including country P.

C.

A company based in country M with a shared interest in selling in country P.

D.

A company based in country P with a large proportion of customers in country M.

Question 54

A company is considering hedging the interest rate risk on a 3-year floating rate borrowing linked to the 12-month risk-free rate.

If the 12-month risk-free rate for the next three years is 2%, 3% and 4%, which of the following alternatives would result in the lowest average finance cost for the company over the three years?

Options:

A.

Enter into an interest rate swap at 3.1% fixed against 12-month risk-free rate.

B.

Enter into an interest rate cap at an annual premium of 0.533% and a cap of 3%,

C.

Enter into a zero-cost collar with a floor of 2.9% and a ceiling of 4%.

D.

Do not hedge.

Question 55

The following information relates to Company A's current capital structure:

  

Company A is considering a change in the capital structure that will increase gearing to 30:70 (Debt:Equity). 

 

The risk -free rate is 3% and the return on the market portfolio is expected to be 10%.

The rate of corporate tax is 25%

 

Using the Capital Asset Pricing Model, calculate the cost of equity resulting from the proposed change to the capital structure.

Options:

A.

11.4%

B.

12.3%

C.

9.3%

D.

10.1%

Question 56

A large, quoted company that is all-equity financed is planning to acquire a smaller unquoted company that is also all-equity financed.

The acquiring company's directors are using the dividend valuation model to value the target company before making an offer.

 

Relevant data for the target company:

   • Dividends paid in the last financial year           $2 million

   • Book value of net assets                                     $15 million

   • Shares in issue                                                     1 million

The acquiring company's cost of capital is 10%.

Its directors believe they can improve the target company's performance in the long term.

They estimate there will be no growth in the first year of the acquisition but from year 2 onwards there will be a 4% growth each year in perpetuity.

 

What is the maximum price the acquiring company should offer for each of the shares in the target company? 

Options:

A.

$33.33

B.

$34.67

C.

$32.78

D.

$15.00

Question 57

A company's current profit before interest and taxation is $1.1 million and it is expected to remain constant for the foreseeable future.

 

The company has 4 million shares in issue on which the earnings yield is currently 10%. It also has a $2 million bond in issue with a fixed interest rate of 5%.

 

The corporate income tax rate is 20% and is expected to remain unchanged.

 

Which of the following is the best estimate of the current share price?

Options:

A.

$2.75

B.

$2.50

C.

$2.00

D.

$1.10

Question 58

A company plans to cut its dividend but is concerned that the share price will fall.  This demonstrates the _____________  effect

Options:

Question 59

A company is planning a share buyback. In which of the following circumstances would a share buyback be appropriate?

Options:

A.

The company wants to reduce its gearing.

B.

The company wants to reduce the nominal value of its shares to make them more marketable.

C.

The country in which the company operates taxes capital gains at a higher rate than income.

D.

The company has a one off cash surplus and no available investment opportunities.

Question 60

An all-equity financed company currently generates total revenue of $50 million.

Its current profit before interest and taxation (PBIT) is $10 million. 

Due to difficult trading conditions, the company expects its total revenue to be constant next year, although some margins will reduce.

It forecasts next year's PBIT will fall to 18% on 40% of its revenue, but that the PBIT on the other 60% of its revenue will be unaffected.

The rate of corporate tax is 20%.

 

What is the forecast percentage reduction in next year's Earnings?

Options:

A.

Reduction of 0.8%

B.

Reduction of 2.0%

C.

Reduction of 4.0%

D.

Reduction of 0%

Question 61

AA is considering changing its capital structure. The following information is currently relevant to AA:

The gearing rating raising the new debt finance will be 50%.

Which THREE of the following statement about the impact of AA’s change in capital structure are true under Modigliani and Miler’s capital structure theory with tax.

Options:

A.

The cost of debt will increase above 4%

B.

The WACC will decrease below 7.6%

C.

The cost of equity will increase above 10%

D.

The cost of equity will decrease below 10%

E.

The WACC increase above 7.6

F.

The cost of debt remain unchanged at 4%

Question 62

A company based in the USA has a substantial fixed rate borrowing at an interest rate of 3.5% and wishes to swap a part of this to a floating rate to take advantage of reducing interest rates Its bank has quoted swap rates of 3 4%-3 5% against 12-month USD risk-free rate.

What is the overall interest rate achieved by the company under this borrowing plus swap combination?

Options:

A.

12-month USD risk-free rate minus 0 1 % (where 0 1 % = the fixed rate of 3.6% minus the swap rate of 3 4%)

B.

12-month USD risk-free rate

C.

12-month USD risk-free rate plus 0 1% (where 0.1 % = the fixed rate of 3.5% minus the swap rate of 3 4%) D. Unchanged at 3.60% as this is the same as the swap rate

Question 63

A company based in Country D, whose currency is the D$, has an objective of maintaining an operating profit margin of at least 10% each year. 

 

Relevant data:

   • The company makes sales to Country E whose currency is the E$. It also makes sales to Country F whose currency is the F$. 

   • All purchases are from Country G whose currency is the G$.

   • The settlement of all transactions is in the currency of the customer or supplier.

 

Which of the following changes would be most likely to help the company achieve its objective?

Options:

A.

The D$ strengthens against the E$ over time. 

B.

The F$ weakens against the D$ over time.

C.

The D$ strengthens against the G$ over time.

D.

The D$ weakens against the G$ over time.

Question 64

A UK based company is considering investing GBP1 ,000,000 in a project it the USA. It is anticipated that the project will yield net cash inflows of USD580.000 each year for the next three years. These surplus cash flows will be remitted to the UK at the end of each year.

Currently GBP1.00 is worth USD1.30.

The expected inflation rates in the two countries over the next four years are 2% in the UK and 4% in the USA.

Applying the purchasing power parity theory, which of the following represents the expected remittance at the end of year three, in GBP whole the nearest whole GBP)?

Options:

A.

GBP568,846

B.

GBP450,906

C.

GBP472,916

D.

GBP546,547

Question 65

Company W is a manufacturing company with three divisions, all of which are making profits:

• Division A which manufactures cars

• Division B which manufactures trucks

• Division C which manufactures agricultural machinery

Company W is facing severe competitive pressure in all of its markets, and is currently operating with a high level of gearing Company W's latest forecasts suggest that it needs to raise cash to avoid breaching loan covenants on its existing debt finance in 6 months' time

In a recent strategy review. Divisions A and B were identified as being the core divisions of Company W

The management of Division C is known to be interested in the possibility of a management buy-out. Company Z is known to be interested in making a takeover bid for Company W's truck manufacturing division

A rival to Company W has recently successfully demerged its business, this was well received by the Financial markets

Which of the following exit strategies will be most suitable for company W?

Options:

A.

Sale of Division B to Company Z

B.

Closure of Division

C.

Management buy-out of Division C

D.

Demerger of Division C

Question 66

M is an accountant who wishes to take out a forward rate agreement as a hedging instrument but the company treasurer has advised that a short-term interest rate future would be a better option.

Which of the following is true of a short-term interest ratefuture?

Options:

A.

It can be tailoredtothe exact reeds of the company.

B.

It interest rates have gone down the price of the future will have fallen.

C.

It must be kept for ne whole duration of the contract

D.

The date is flexible and the position can be closed quickly and easily.

Question 67

A major energy company, GDE, generates and distributes electricity in country A. The government of country A is concerned about rising inflation and has imposed price controls on GDE, limiting the price it can charge per unit of electricity sold to both domestic and commercial customers. It is likely that price controls will continue for the foreseeable future.

 

The introduction of price controls is likely to reduce the profit for the current year from $3 billion to $1 billion.

 

The company has:

   • Distributable reserves of $2 billion. 

   • Surplus cash at the start of the year of $1 billion. 

   • Plans to pay a total dividend of $1.5 billion in respect of the current year, representing a small annual increase as in previous years. However, no dividends have yet been announced. 

 

Which THREE of the following responses would be MOST appropriate for GDE following the imposition of price controls?

Options:

A.

Announce a reduction in the annual dividend to a more sustainable level given the new price controls regime.

B.

Carry out a wide-ranging review of costs and staffing levels to identify possible cost savings and redundancies.

C.

Actively investigate potential new ways of generating revenue by the sale of related goods and services that are outside the scope of the price controls.

D.

Raise funds by means of a rights issue in order to maintain historical dividend levels.

E.

Actively look for a private equity investor to introduce new and innovative business and financial strategies to the business.

Question 68

A is a listed company. Its shares trade on a stock market exhibiting semi-strong form efficiency.

 

Which of the following is most likely to increase the wealth of A's shareholders?

Options:

A.

Announcing that a project will be undertaken generating a positive net present value.

B.

Announcing that the final dividend will remain unchanged from the previous 3 years.

C.

Announcing that a non-current asset will be revalued in the statement of financial position.

D.

Announcing that inventory will be impaired.

Question 69

A company is considering taking out $10.000,000 of floating rate bank borrowings to finance a new project. The current rate available to the company on floating rate barrowings is 8%. The borrowings contain a covenant based on an interested cover of5times.

The project is expected to generate the following results:

At what interest rate on the floating rate borrowings is the bank covenant first breached?

Options:

A.

10.0%

B.

11.0%

C.

8.0%

D.

9.4%

Question 70

A private company was formed five years ago and is currently owned and managed by its five founders. The founders, who each own the same number of shares have generally co-operated effectively but there have also been a number of areas where they have disagreed

The company has grown significantly over this period by re-investing its earnings into new investments which have produced excellent returns

The founders are now considering an Initial Public Offering by listing 70% of the shares on the local stock exchange

Which THREE of the following statements about the advantages of a listing are valid?

Options:

A.

Reduces agency conflict

B.

Increases dividend payouts

C.

Helps access to wider sources of finance.

D.

Provides an exit route for the founders

E.

Increases the profile and reputation of the business.

Question 71

HHH Company has a fixed rate loan at 10.0%, but wishes to swap to variable. It can borrow at the risk-free rate +8%. The bank is currently quoting swap rates of 3.1% (bid) and 3.5% (ask). What net rate will HHH Company pay if it enters into the swap?

Options:

A.

Risk-free rate +6.9%

B.

Risk-free rate +8%

C.

Risk-free rate+3.1%

D.

Risk-free rate +6.5%

Question 72

A company has:

   • $7 million market value of equity

   • $5 million market value of debt 

   • WACC of 9.375%

   • Corporate income tax rate of 15%

According to Modigliani and Miller's theory of capital structure with tax, what is the ungeared cost of equity?

Options:

A.

10.00%

B.

8.79%

C.

14.52%

D.

10.27%

Question 73

A listed company has recently announced a profit warning.

 

The company's share price fell 20% on the day of the announcement but had been fairly static in the weeks leading up to the announcement.

 

Which form of efficient market is most likely to be indicated by this share price movement?

Options:

A.

Weak form

B.

Semi-strong form

C.

Strong form

D.

Random walk

Question 74

A large, listed company is planning a major project that should greatly improve its share price in the long term.

These plans require a significant capital cost that the company plans to finance by debt.

All of the debt options being considered are for the same duration of time.

 

Which of the following sources of debt finance is likely to be the most expensive for the company over the full term of the debt?

Options:

A.

Bonds

B.

A finance lease

C.

Convertible bonds

D.

Bank loan

Question 75

A company has convertible bonds in issue.

The following debt is apply (31 December 20X0):

• Conversion ratio- 20 shares for each $130 bond.

• Current share price - $4 50

• Expected annual growth in share price - 5%

Advise the bond Holder at which date the convers on would be worthwhile?

Options:

A.

31 December 20X2

B.

31 December 20X0

C.

31 December 20X3

D.

31 December 20X1

Question 76

D has US$10 million to invest over 12 months in either USS or GBP Its options are to invest in USS at the present USS interest rate of 10 18%. or to convert the USS to GBP at the spot rate GBP1 =US$1 61 and invest in GBP at an interest rate of 6.4%.

According to the interest rate parity theory, what will the one year forward rate be?

Give your answer to three decimal places.

Options:

Question 77

A company generates and distributes electricity and gas to households and businesses. 

 

Forecast results for the next financial year are as follows:

  

The Industry Regulator has announced a new price cap of $1.50 per Kilowatt. 

The company expects this to cause consumption to rise by 10% but costs would remained unaltered. 

 

The price cap is expected to cause the company's net profit to fall to:

Options:

A.

$47.5 million profit

B.

$27.5 million profit

C.

$20.0 million profit

D.

$35.0 million loss

Question 78

A company is located in a single country. The company manufactures electrical goods for export and for sale in its home country. When exporting, it invoices in its customers' currency. What currency risks is the company exposed to?

Options:

A.

Transaction risk only

B.

Transaction, economic and translation risks.

C.

Transaction and economic risks

D.

Translation and economic risks.

Question 79

A company needs to raise $20 million to finance a project.

It has decided on a rights issue at a discount of 20% to its current market share price.

There are currently 20 million shares in issue with a nominal value of $1 and a market price of $5 per share.

 

Calculate the terms of the rights issue.

Options:

A.

1 new share for every 4 existing shares

B.

1 new share for every 20 existing shares

C.

1 new share for every 5 existing shares

D.

1 new share for every 25 existing shares

Question 80

A wholly equity financed company has the following objectives:

1. Increase in profit before interest and tax by at least 10% per year.

2. Maintain a dividend payout ratio of 40% of earnings per year.

 

Relevant data:

   • There are 2 million shares in issue.

   • Profit before interest and tax in the last financial year was $4 million.

   • The corporate income tax rate is 20%.

At the beginning of the current financial year, the company raised long term debt of $2 million at 5% interest each year. 

 

Calculate the dividend per share that will be announced this year assuming the company achieves its objective of increasing profit before interest and tax by 10%.

Options:

A.

$0.52

B.

$0.47

C.

$1.20

D.

$1.09

Question 81

An analyst has valued a company using the free cash flow valuation model.

 

The analyst used the following data in determining the value:

   • Estimated free cashflow in 1 year's time = $100,000

   • Estimated growth in free cashflow after the first year = 5% each year indefinitely

   • Appropriate cost of equity = 10% 

The result produced by the analyst was as follows:

Value of equity = $100,000 (1+0.05)/0.10 = $1,050,000

The analyst made a number of errors in determining the value. 

 

By how much has the analyst undervalued the company?

Options:

A.

$950,000

B.

$2,000,000

C.

$2,100,000

D.

$1,050,000

Question 82

Which THREE of the following long term changes are most likely to increase the credit rating of a company?

Options:

A.

An increase in the interest cover ratio.

B.

A decrease in the (Net debt) / (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio.

C.

An increase in the free cashflow generated from operations.

D.

A decrease in the (Book value of debt) / (Book value of equity) ratio.

E.

A decrease in the dividend cover ratio.

Question 83

Company X is an established, unquoted company which provides IT advisory services.

The company's results and cashflows are growing steadily and it has few direct competitors due to the very specialised nature of it's business. Dividends are predictable and paid annually.

Company P is looking to buy 30% of company X's equity shares.

 

Which TWO of the following methods are likely to be considered most suitable valuation methods for valuing company P's investment in Company X?

Options:

A.

Asset based using replacement cost

B.

Dividend based using DVM

C.

Cash based using free cash flow before interest

D.

P/E ratio method using IT industry average 

E.

Earnings yield method using a listed IT company as proxy

Question 84

Company ABE is an unlisted company that has been trading for 10 years. During this period, it has seen substantial growth in revenue and earnings. For the company to continue its growth it needs to raise new finance The directors are considering an initial public offering (IPO).

The following information is relevant to Company ABE:

A listed company of similar size and in the same industry as Company ABE had earnings per share in the last financial year of $1 80 Its shares are currently trading at a price / earnings ratio of 12.

The directors of Company ABE have asked for advice on what price they might expect if the company is listed on the stock exchange by means of an IPO.

Using the information provided what is an estimated issue price for each share in Company ABE?

Give your answer to 2 decimal places.

Options:

Question 85

Select the most appropriate divided for each of the following statements:

Options:

Question 86

Company M is a listed company in a highly technical service industry.

The directors are considering making a cash offer for the shares in Company Q, an unquoted company in the same industry.

 

Relevant data about Company Q:

   • The company has seen consistent growth in earnings each year since it was founded 10 years ago.

   • It has relatively few non-current assets.

   • Many of the employees are leading experts in their field. A recent exercise suggested that the value of the company's human capital exceeded the value of its tangible assets.

The directors and major shareholders of Company Q have indicated willingness to sell the company.

Before negotiations become too advanced, the directors of Company M are considering the benefits to their company that would follow the acquisition.

 

Which THREE of the following are the most likely benefits of the acquisition to Company M's shareholders?

Options:

A.

Access to technical expertise.

B.

Reduction of risk through diversification.

C.

Improved asset backing for borrowing due to the acquisition of intangible assets.

D.

Gain economies of scale.

E.

Improve earnings per share (EPS).

Question 87

Company M's current profit before interest and taxation is $5.0 million.

It has a long-term 10% corporate bond in issue with a nominal value of $10 million.

The rate of corporate tax is 25%.

It plans to continue to pay out 50% of its earnings in dividends and earnings are expected to grow by 3% each year in perpetuity.

Its cost of equity is 10%.

 

Using the dividend growth model, advise the Board of Directors of Company M which of the following provide a reasonable valuation of Company M's equity?

Options:

A.

$73.6 million

B.

$22.1 million

C.

$44.1 million

D.

$50.1 million

Question 88

Company XXY operates in country X with the X$ as its currency. It is looking to acquire company ZZY which operates in country Z with the Z$ as its currency.

The assistant accountant at Company XXY has started to prepare an initial valuation of Company ZZY's equity for the first 3 years, however their valuation is incomplete. TBC' in the table below indicates that her calculations have yet to be completed.

The following information is relevant:

What is the correct figure (to the nearest million S) to include in year 3 as the present value in X$ million?

Options:

A.

X$453 million

B.

X$504 million

C.

X$401 million

D.

X$360 million

Question 89

A venture capitalist invests in a company by means of buying:

   • 9 million shares for $2 a share and

   • 8% bonds with a nominal value of $2 million, repayable at par in 3 years' time. 

The venture capitalist expects a return on the equity portion of the investment of at least 20% a year on a compound basis over the first 3 years of the investment.

 

The company has 10 million shares in issue.

 

What is the minimum total equity value for the company in 3 years' time required to satisify the venture capitalist's expected return?

 

Give your answer to the nearest $ million.

 

$   million.   

 

Options:

Question 90

Company Y plans to diversify into an activity where Company X has an equity beta of 1.6, a debt beta of zero and gearing of 50% (debt/debt plus equity).

The risk-free rate of return is 5% and the market portfolio is expected to return 10%.

The rate of corporate income tax is 30%.

 

What would be the risk-adjusted cost of equity if Company Y has 60% equity and 40% debt?

Options:

A.

11.6%

B.

11.9%

C.

9.1%

D.

13%

Question 91

A listed company in the retail sector has accumulated excess cash.

In recent years, it has experienced uncertainly with forecasting the required level of cash for capital expenditure due to unpredictable economic cycles.

Its excess cash is on deposit earning negligible returns.

The Board of Directors is considering the company's dividend policy, and the need to retain cash in the company.

 

Which THREE of the following are advantages of retaining excess cash in the company? 

Options:

A.

Retaining excess cash may make the company vulnerable to hostile takeover. 

B.

The excess cash is earning a negligible return. 

C.

The company will be in a position to respond promptly to unexpected investment opportunities.

D.

Liquidity problems are less likely to be experienced if there is a downturn in business.

E.

The market may interpret the return of excess cash as a sign of weak growth prospects.

Question 92

Company C has received an unwelcome takeover bid from Company P.

Company P is approximately twice the size of Company C based on market capitalisation.

Although the two companies have some common business interests, the main aim of the bid is diversification for Company P.

The offer from Company P is a share exchange of 2 shares in Company P for 3 shares in Company C.

There is a cash alternative of $5.50 for each Company C share.

Company C has substantial cash balances which the directors were planning to use to fund an acquisition.

These plans have not been announced to the market.

 

The following share price information is relevant. All prices are in $.

  

 

Which of the following would be the most appropriate action by Company C's directors following receipt of this hostile bid?

Options:

A.

Write to shareholders explaining fully why the company's share price is under valued.

B.

Change the Articles of Association to increase the percentage of shareholder votes required to approve a takeover.

C.

Pay a one-off special dividend.

D.

Refer the bid to the country's competition authorities.

Question 93

A company has in a 5% corporate bond in issue on which there are two loan covenants.

   • Interest cover must not fall below 3 times

   • Retained earnings for the year must not fall below $3.5 million

The Company has 200 million shares in issue.

The most recent dividend per share was $0.04.

The Company intends increasing dividends by 10% next year.

 

Financial projections for next year are as follows:

 

Advise the Board of Directors which of the following will be the status of compliance with the loan covenants next year?

Options:

A.

The company will be in compliance with both covenants.

B.

The company will be in breach of both covenants.

C.

The company will breach the covenant in respect of retained earnings only.

D.

The company will be in breach of the covenant in respect of interest cover only.

Question 94

Company AEE has a 10 year 6% corporate bond in issue which has a nominal value of $400 million, which is currently trading at 95%. The bond is secured on the company's property

The Board of Directors has calculated the equity value of Company AEE as follows;

Which THREE of the following are errors in the valuation?

Options:

A.

Including retained earnings from the Statement of Financial Position.

B.

Deducting $400 million for the value of the company's corporate bond.

C.

Using the company's weighted average cost of capital to discount cash flows attributable to shareholders.

D.

Using cash flows to equity rather than expected dividends as the initial cash flows.

E.

Deducting replacement capital expenditure

Question 95

A company based in Country D, whose currency is the D$, has an objective of maintaining an operating profit margin of at least 10% each year. 

 

Relevant data:

   • The company makes sales to Country E whose currency is the E$. It also makes sales to Country F whose currency is the F$. 

   • All purchases are from Country G whose currency is the G$.

   • The settlement of all transactions is in the currency of the customer or supplier.

 

Which of the following changes would be most likely to help the company achieve its objective?

Options:

A.

The D$ strengthens against the E$ over time. 

B.

The F$ weakens against the D$ over time.

C.

The D$ strengthens against the G$ over time.

D.

The D$ weakens against the G$ over time.

Question 96

Company Z has identified four potential acquisition targets: companies A, B, C and D.  

Company Z has a current equity market value of $580 million.

The price it would have to pay for the equity of each company is as follows:  

  

Only one of the target companies can be acquired and the consideration will be paid in cash.

The following estimations of the new combined value of Company Z have been prepared for each acquisition before deduction of the cash consideration:

  

 

Ignoring any premium paid on acquisition, which acquisition should the directors pursue?

Options:

A.

A

B.

B

C.

C

D.

D

Question 97

Company A plans to acquire a minority stake in Company B.

The last available share price for Company B was $0.60.  

 

Relevant data about Company B is as follows:

   • A dividend per share of $0.08 has just been paid

   • Dividend growth is expected to be 2% 

   • Earnings growth is expected to be 4%

   • The cost of equity is 15%

   • The weighted average cost of capital is 13%

Using the dividend growth model, what would be the expected change in share price?

Options:

A.

$0.03 increase

B.

$0.07 fall

C.

$0.16 increase

D.

$0.14 increase

Question 98

RST wishes to raise at least $40 million of new equity by issuing up to 10 million new equity shares at a minimum price of $3.00 under an offer for sale by tender. It receives the following tender offers:

What is the maximum amount that RST can raise by this share issue?

(Give your answer to the nearest $ million).

Options:

Question 99

A company is deciding whether to offer a scrip dividend or a cash dividend to its shareholders. 

Although the company has excellent long-term growth prospects, it is experiencing short-term profit and cash flow problems.

 

Which of the following statements is most likely to be a reason for choosing the scrip dividend?

Options:

A.

It is a way of raising additional finance to promote future growth.

B.

It is a way of increasing earnings per share.

C.

It is a way of encouraging shareholders to allow cash to be retained in the business.

D.

It is a way of increasing dividend per share.

Question 100

Which TIIRCC of the following are most likely to reduce the long term credit rating co a company?

Options:

A.

The issue of new shares where the funds raised are invested in a project that has an NPV of nil.

B.

The issue of a new bond where the funds raised are invested in a project that has an NPV of nil.

C.

The issue of new shares where the funds raised are invested in expanding into a new nigh risk market.

D.

Loss of a major customer that contributed 30% of sales revenue.

E.

Disposal of a loss-making division where the funds raised will be used to pay a special dividend to shareholders.

Question 101

A listed company has recently announced a profit warning.

 

The company's share price fell 20% on the day of the announcement but had been fairly static in the weeks leading up to the announcement.

 

Which form of efficient market is most likely to be indicated by this share price movement?

Options:

A.

Weak form

B.

Semi-strong form

C.

Strong form

D.

Random walk

Question 102

Company J plans to acquire Company K, an unlisted company whose equity is to be valued using a P/E ratio approach. 

A listed company has been identified which is very similar to Company K and which can be used as a proxy.

However, the growth prospects of Company K are higher than those of the proxy.

The Directors of Company J are aware that certain adjustments will be necessary to the proxy company's P/E ratio in order to obtain a more reliable valuation.  

 

The following adjustments have been agreed:

   • 20% due to Company K being unlisted.

   • 15% to allow for the growth rate difference.

The total adjustment to the proxy p/e ratio is:

Options:

A.

5% increase

B.

5% decrease

C.

35% increase

D.

35% decrease

Question 103

Which of the following statements best describes a residual dividend policy?

Options:

A.

Dividends are paid only after the on-going operational needs of the business have been met.

B.

Dividends are paid only if no further positive NPV projects are available.

C.

All surplus earnings are invested back into the business.

D.

Dividends are paid at a constant rate.

Question 104

WW is a quoted manufacturing company. The Finance Director has addressed the shareholders during WW's annual general meeting-She has told the shareholders that WW raised equity during the year and used the funds to repay a large loan that was maturing, thereby reducing WW's gearing ratio

At the conclusion of the Finance Director's speech one of the shareholders complained that it had been foolish for WW to have used equity to repay debt The shareholder argued that the Modigliani and Miller model (with tax) offers proof that debt is cheaper than equity when companies pay tax on their profits.

Which THREE arguments could the Finance Director have used in response to the shareholder?

Options:

A.

A lower gearing ratio will result in an increase in the value of the company

B.

WW was approaching a debt covenant limit and it was therefore important to reduce gearing.

C.

A lower gearing ratio creates greater flexibility for WW in the future

D.

The shareholder was confusing the cost of capital with shareholder wealth

E.

Reducing the gearing ratio has reduced the financial risk of WW which will benefit shareholders

F.

The Modigliani and Miller model would only be valid in practice if WW's shareholders were aware of the model and believed in its validity

Question 105

A company plans a four-year project which will be financed by either an operating lease or a bank loan.

Lease details:

   • Four year lease contract.

   • Annual lease rentals of $45,000, paid in advance on the 1st day of the year.

Other information:

   • The interest rate payable on the bank borrowing is 10%.

   • The capital cost of the project is $200,000 which would have to be paid at the beginning of the first year.

   • A salvage or residual value of $100,000 is estimated at the end of the project's life.

   • Purchased assets attract straight line tax depreciation allowances. 

   • Corporate income tax is 20% and is payable at the end of the year following the year to which it relates.

A lease-or-buy appraisal is shown below:

  

 

Which THREE of the following items are errors within the appraisal? 

Options:

A.

Lease payments are timed incorrectly

B.

Tax relief on lease payments have not been lagged correctly

C.

Using the 10% discount rate is incorrect

D.

The project's operating cashflows should be included

E.

The bank loan repayments should be included

F.

The salvage value has been included within the lease option

Question 106

A company's gearing is well below its optimal level and therefore it is considering implementing a share re-purchase programme.

This programme will be funded from the proceeds of a planned new long-term bond issue.

Its financial projections show no change to next year's expected earnings.

As a result, the company plans to pay the same total dividend in future years.

 

If the share re-purchase is implemented, which THREE of the following measures are most likely to decrease?

Options:

A.

The Weighted Average Cost of Capital

B.

The cost of equity

C.

The interest cover

D.

Next year's dividend per share

E.

The gearing, based on book value (debt ÷ (debt + equity))

F.

The number of shares in issue

Question 107

A company's current earnings before interest and taxation are $5 million.

These are expected to remain constant for the forseeable future.

The company has 10 million shares in issue which currently trade at $3.60.

It also has a $10 million long term floating rate loan.

The current interest rate on this loan is 5%.

The company pays tax at 20%.

The company expects interest rates to increase next year to 6% and it's Price/Earnings (P/E) ratio to move to 9.5 times by the end of next year.

 

What percentage reduction in the share price will occur by the end of next year if the interest rate increase and the P/E movement both occur?

Options:

A.

Reduction of 7%

B.

Reduction of 5%

C.

Reduction of 1%

D.

Reduction of 0%

Question 108

A listed company follows a policy of paying a constant dividend.  The following information is available:

   • Issued share capital (nominal value $0.50) $60 million

   • Current market capitalisation $480 million

The shareholders are requesting an increased dividend this year as earnings have been growing.  However, the directors wish to retain as much cash as possible to fund new investments. They therefore plan to announce a 1-for-10 scrip dividend to replace the usual cash dividend.

 

Assuming no other influence on share price, what is the expected share price following the scrip dividend?

 

Give your answer to 2 decimal places.

 

$ ?  

Options:

Question 109

The two founding directors of an unlisted geared company want to establish its value as they are intending to approach a venture capitalist for additional funding.

The funding will be used to invest in a major new project which has very high growth potential. The directors intend to sell 10% of the company to the venture capitalist They have prepared the following current valuation of the company using the divided valuation model:

The following information is relevant.

• $60,000 is the most recent dividend paid.

• 4% is the average dividend growth over the last few years.

• 10% is an estimate of the company's cost of equity using the CAPM model with the industry average asset beta

Which THREE of the following are weaknesses of the valuation method used in these circumstances?

Options:

A.

The industry average asset beta is not an appropriate beta to use in CAPM in this case.

B.

The company is unlikely to achieve constant growth in dividends year-on-year.

C.

Future dividend growth is unlikely to reflect historical dividend growth.

D.

It is not an appropriate valuation method for a small, 10% equity stake

E.

CAPM cannot be used to estimate the cost of equity of an unlisted company.

Question 110

A new company was set up two years ago using the personal financial resources of the founders.

These funds were used to acquire suitable premises.

The company has entered into a long-term lease on the premises which are not yet fully fitted out.

The founders are considering requesting loan finance from the company's bank to fund the purchase of custom-made advanced technology equipment.

No other companies are using this type of equipment.

The company expects to continue to be profitable for the forseeable future.

It re-invests some of its surplus cash in on-going essential research and development.

 

Which THREE of the following features are likely to be considered negatives by the bank when assessing the company's credit-worthiness?

Options:

A.

The equipment is advanced technology custom-made equipment. 

B.

The company will continue to remain profitable and to generate net cash.

C.

The company premises are on a long-term lease but are not yet fully fitted out.

D.

The founders invested their personal financial resources in the company.

E.

Essential on-going research and development expenditure is required.

Question 111

A company has in a 5% corporate bond in issue on which there are two loan covenants.

   • Interest cover must not fall below 3 times

   • Retained earnings for the year must not fall below $3.5 million

The Company has 200 million shares in issue.

The most recent dividend per share was $0.04.

The Company intends increasing dividends by 10% next year.

 

Financial projections for next year are as follows:

 

Advise the Board of Directors which of the following will be the status of compliance with the loan covenants next year?

Options:

A.

The company will be in compliance with both covenants.

B.

The company will be in breach of both covenants.

C.

The company will breach the covenant in respect of retained earnings only.

D.

The company will be in breach of the covenant in respect of interest cover only.

Question 112

A company is reporting under IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures for the first time and the directors are concerned about whether this will lead to the disclosure of information that could affect the company's share price.

The company is based in a country that uses the A$ but 40% of revenue relates to export sales to the USA and priced in US$. 

 

When the company reports under IFRS 7 for the first time, the share price is most likely to:

Options:

A.

Increase due to greater clarity of information available on the extent of US$ risks and how they are managed.

B.

Stay the same since US$ risk can already be quantified from segmental analysis disclosures included elsewhere in the annual report.

C.

Decrease since investors place a lower value on higher risk businesses.

D.

Either increase or decrease depending on market reaction to new information on how financial risk is managed.

Question 113

A company has a financial objective of maintaining a gearing ratio of between 30% and 40%, where gearing is defined as debt/equity at market values. 

The company has been affected by a recent economic downturn leading to a shortage of liquidity and a fall in the share price during 20X1.

 

On 31 December 20X1 the company was funded by:

•    Share capital of 4 million $1 shares trading at $4.0 per share.

•    Debt of $7 million floating rate borrowings.

 

The directors plan to raise $2 million additional borrowings in order to improve liquidity.  

They expect this to reassure investors about the company's liquidity position and result in a rise in the share price to $4.2 per share.

 

Is the planned increase in borrowings expected to help the company meet its gearing objective?

Options:

A.

No, gearing would increase but the gearing objective would be met both before and after the announcement.

B.

No, gearing would increase and the gearing objective would be exceeded both before and after the announcement.

C.

No, gearing would increase and the gearing objective would be met before the announcement but exceeded after the announcement.

D.

Yes, gearing would fall and the gearing objective would be exceeded before the announcement but met after the announcement.

Question 114

When valuing an unlisted company, a P/E ratio for a similar listed company may be used but adjustments to the P/E ratio may be necessary.

 

Which THREE of the following factors would justify a reduction in the proxy p/e ratio before use? 

Options:

A.

The relative lack of marketability of unlisted company shares.

B.

A lower level of scrutiny and regulation for unlisted companies.

C.

Unlisted companies being generally smaller and less established.

D.

Control premium not being included within the proxy p/e ratio used.

E.

The forecast earnings growth being relatively higher in the unlisted company.

F.

A profit item within the unlisted company's latest earnings which will not reoccur.

Question 115

The Government of Eastland is concerned that competition within its private healthcare industry is being distorted by the dominant position of the market leader, Delta Care. The Government has instructed the industry regulator to investigate whether the industry is operating fairly in the interests of patients.

Which of the following factors might the industry regulator review as part of their investigation?

Select ALL that apply.

Options:

A.

Profits amongst healthcare providers

B.

Each healthcare provider's market share

C.

Prices across the industry

D.

Medical treatment efficacy rates

E.

Industry entry barriers

Question 116

Holding cash in excess of business requirements rather than returning the cash to shareholders is most likely to result in lower:

Options:

A.

liquidity.

B.

vulnerability to a takeover bid.

C.

net profit.

D.

return on equity.

Question 117

A listed company in a high technology industry has decided to value its intellectual capital using the Calculated Intangible Value method (CIV).

 

Relevant data for the company:

   • Pays corporate income tax at 30%

   • Cost of equity is 9%, pre-tax cost of debt is 7% and the WACC is 8%

   • The value spread has been calculated as $26 million

Calculate the CIV for the company.

Options:

A.

228 million

B.

289 million

C.

531 million

D.

325 million

Question 118

A company has:

   • 10 million $1 ordinary shares in issue 

   • A current share price of $5.00 a share

   • A WACC of 15%

The company holds $10 million in cash. No interest is earned on this cash.

It will invest this in a project with an expected NPV of $4 million.

 

In a semi-strong efficient stock market, which of the following is the most likely share price immediately after the announcement of the new investment?

Options:

A.

$5.40 

B.

$6.40

C.

$6.80

D.

$5.30

Question 119

DFG is a successful company and its shares are listed on a recognised stock exchange. The company's gearing ratio is currently in line with the industry average and the directors of DFG do not want to increase the company's financial risk. The company does not carry a large cash balance and its shareholders are not expected to be willing to support a rights issue at this time

LMB is a small services company owned and managed by a small board of directors who are going to retire within the next year

DFG wishes to purchase LMB and has approached LMB's owners, who are broadly open to the proposal, to discuss the bid and the consideration to be offered by DFG. LMB's owners explain to DFG that they are also keen to defer any tax liabilities they would be subject to on receipt of the consideration.

Based on the information provided, which of the following types of consideration would be most suitable to finance the acquisition?

Options:

A.

Loan stock in DFG for the current value of LMB

B.

DFG shares for the current value of LMB

C.

Cash for the current value of LMB

D.

DFG shares for a percentage of the current value of LMB plus a three year earn-out arrangement

Question 120

Company A is based in country A with the AS as its functional currency. It expects to receive BS20 million from Company B in settlement of an export invoice.

The current exchange rate is A$1 =B$2 and the daily standard deviation of this exchange rate = 0 5%

What is the one-day 95% VaR in AS?

Options:

A.

A$50,000

B.

A$164,500

C.

A$82,250

D.

A$822,500

Question 121

Company P is a pharmaceutical company listed on an alternative investment market.  

The company is developing a new drug which it hopes to market in approximately six years' time.

Company P is owned and managed by a group of doctors who wish to retain control of the company.  The company operates from leased laboratories with minimal fixed assets. 

Its value comes from the quality of its research staff and their research.

The company currently has one approved drug which generates sufficient cashflow to cover day to day operations but not sufficient for major new research and development.

Company P wish to raise debt finance to develop the new drug. 

 

Recommend which of the following types of debt finance would be most appropriate for Company P to help finance the development of this new drug. 

Options:

A.

6% Eurobond repayable at par in 5 years' time.

B.

5% Bond repayable at par in 7 years' time.

C.

3% Commercial Paper.

D.

4% Convertible bond with a conversion ratio of 350 ordinary shares per bond.

Question 122

On 31 October 20X3:

   • A company expected to agree a foreign currency transaction in January 20X4 for settlement on 31 March 20X4.  

   • The company hedged the currency risk using a forward contract at nil cost for settlement on 31 March 20X4.

   • The transaction was correctly treated as a cash flow hedge in accordance with IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

On 31 December 20X3, the financial year end, the fair value of the forward contract was $10,000 (asset).

 

How should the increase in the fair value of the forward contract be treated within the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 20X3?

Options:

A.

Not recognised in 20X3 as the forward contract is not settled until after the year end.

B.

Not recognised in 20X3 as the gain will be offset by a loss on the hedged transaction.

C.

A $10,000 profit will be recognised within the Income Statement.

D.

A $10,000 profit will be recognised within other comprehensive income.

Question 123

ZZZ wishes to borrow at a floating rate and has been told that it can use swaps to reduce the effective interest rate it pays. ZZZ can borrow floating at the risk-free rate + 1, and fixed at 10%.

Which of the following companies would be the most appropriate for ZZZ to enter into a swap with?

Options:

A.

Company DDA - it can borrow at risk-free rate + 1 Vz and fixed at 10.5%

B.

Company CCA - it can borrow at risk-free rate + Y% and fixed at 9%

C.

Company BBA - it can borrow floating at risk-free rate +VA and fixed at 12%

D.

Company AAB - it can borrow floating at risk-free rate + % and fixed at 9.5%

Question 124

A large, listed company in the food and household goods industry needs to raise $50 million for a period of up to 6 months.

It has an excellent credit rating and there is almost no risk of the company defaulting on the borrowings. The company already has a commercial paper programme in place and has a good relationship with its bank.

 

Which of the following is likely to be the most cost effective method of borrowing the money?

Options:

A.

Bank overdraft

B.

6 month term loan

C.

Treasury Bills

D.

Commercial paper

Question 125

A company based in Country D, whose currency is the D$, has an objective of maintaining an operating profit margin of at least 10% each year. 

 

Relevant data:

   • The company makes sales to Country E whose currency is the E$. It also makes sales to Country F whose currency is the F$. 

   • All purchases are from Country G whose currency is the G$.

   • The settlement of all transactions is in the currency of the customer or supplier.

 

Which of the following changes would be most likely to help the company achieve its objective?

Options:

A.

The D$ strengthens against the E$ over time. 

B.

The F$ weakens against the D$ over time.

C.

The D$ strengthens against the G$ over time.

D.

The D$ weakens against the G$ over time.

Question 126

A company gas a large cash balance but its directors have been unable to identify any positive NPV projects to invest in. Which THREE of the following are advantages of a share repurchase, compared with a one-off large dividend?

Options:

A.

The shareholder can choose whether to take the cast or not.

B.

It increases the number of shares issue.

C.

It means that the company will be able to pay lower total dividends in the future.

D.

It returns cash to shareholders so that they can choose hew to spend It

E.

It will not create an expectation for future increased dividends.

Question 127

Company A has a cash surplus.

The discount rate used for a typical project is the company's weighted average cost of capital of 10%.

No investment projects will be available for at least 2 years.

 

Which of the following is currently most likely to increase shareholder wealth in respect of the surplus cash?

Options:

A.

Investing in a 2 year bond returning 5% each year.

B.

Investing in the local money market at 4% each year.

C.

Maintaining the cash in a current account.

D.

Paying the surplus cash as a dividend at the earliest opportunity.

Question 128

Company A is unlisted and all-equity financed. It is trying to estimate its cost of equity. 

 

The following information relates to another company, Company B, which operates in the same industry as Company A and has similar business risk:

 

Equity beta = 1.6      

Debt:equity ratio  40:60

The rate of corporate income tax is 20%.

The expected premium on the market portfolio is 7% and the risk-free rate is 5%.

What is the estimated cost of equity for Company A?

 

Give your answer to one decimal place.

 

 ? % 

Options:

Question 129

A company is planning a new share issue.

The funds raised will be used to repay debt on which it is currently paying a high interest rate.

Operating profit and dividends are expected to remain unchanged in the near future.

If the share issue is implemented, which THREE of the following are most likely to increase?

Options:

A.

The cost of equity

B.

The number of shares in issue

C.

Next year's payment of corporate income tax

D.

The gearing (book value of debt as a percentage of the book value of equity + debt)

E.

Interest cover

Question 130

A company wishes to raise additional debt finance and is assessing the impact this will have on key ratios. 

The following data currently applies:

   • Profit before interest and tax for the current year is $500,000

   • Long term debt of $300,000 at a fixed interest rate of 5%

   • 250,000 shares in issue with a share price of $8

The company plans to borrow an additional $200,000 on the first day of the year to invest in new project which will improve annual profit before interest and tax by $24,000.

The additional debt would carry an interest rate of 3%.

Assume the number of shares in issue remain constant but the share price will increase to $8.50 after the investment.

The rate of corporate income tax is 30%.

 

After the investment, which of the following statements is correct?

Options:

A.

Interest cover will fall; P/E ratio will fall.

B.

Interest cover will fall; P/E ratio will rise.

C.

Interest cover will rise; P/E ratio will rise.

D.

Interest cover will rise; P/E ratio will fall.

Demo: 130 questions
Total 435 questions