200910 Chapter 7: financing -week 7 - Google Docs

Please read the article and answer these THREE questions:

1. Why are conditions currently favorable for firms to issue debt and pay out the proceeds to stockholders?

2. What are dangerous impacts of issuing additional debt mentioned in the article?

3. TransDigm used the proceeds of their debt issue to pay a one-time dividend while Intel used the proceeds to repurchase shares. How does a repurchase differ from a one-time dividend? Why do you think the two firms chose different approaches to distributing cash to shareholders?

___________

"Borrowing for Dividends Raises Worries" at the Wall Street Journal on 10/06/2009

Rock-bottom interest rates and thawed credit markets are emboldening some companies to use bond-sale proceeds to go on the offensive, even if that means rewarding shareholders at the expense of bondholders.

The nascent trend is controversial because corporate borrowers are sinking themselves deeper into debt to pay out special dividends, buy back stock or finance acquisitions. While such moves were all the rage during the credit boom, most corporate-bond offerings during the recession have been used to reduce debt or stockpile cash.

Eric Felder, global head of credit trading at Barclays Capital, says the lure of low rates and companies' stables of cash increases "the risk of non-bondholder friendly events."

Last week's sale of $425 million of bonds by aircraft-parts manufacturer TransDigm Group Inc. is one of the back-to-the-past corporate-bond deals causing concern among some analysts. More than $360 million of the proceeds will be used to pay a special cash dividend to shareholders and management of the Cleveland company.

The added debt increased TransDigm's borrowings to 4.3 times its earnings before interest and taxes, compared with 3.1 times before last week's deal. The expected dividend of $7.50 to $7.70 a share is equal to nearly all of the net income that TransDigm reported since the end of fiscal 2003, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Moody's said the dividend "illustrates the company's aggressive financial policy." Moody's gave the new debt a junk rating of B3, even though the ratings firm said TransDigm's "strong operating performance will enable the company to service the increased debt level."

Sean Maroney, director of investor relations at TransDigm, says the "stability of our business, high profit margins and consistent cash flow" give the company "the ability to support this level of leverage."

Borrowing from bondholders to pay shareholder dividends is "a hallmark of an earlier credit era," Jeffrey Rosenberg, head of credit strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote in a report Friday. Such deals were popular in 2003 and 2004, the last time the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate to historically low levels, keeping it at 1% for more than a year.

Companies like Dex Media Inc. DEX -0.18% took on debt to pay dividends to its private-equity owners, including Carlyle Group and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, before taking the companies public. Dex Media filed for bankruptcy earlier this year under a mountain of debt.

With the federal-funds rate at 0% for nine months now and confidence returning to the stock and debt markets, investors have been driven to take on more risk. That is flooding the corporate-bond market with cash. Investors poured $43 billion into investment-grade corporate-bond funds in the second quarter and nearly $40 billion in the third quarter -- almost double previous peak quarters, according to Lipper AMG Data Services.

The wave of buying drove down borrowing costs for the average highly rated corporation to about 5%, according to Merrill, a level not seen since 2005. In the heat of the crisis last October, such rates averaged 9%. Through the end of September, more than 1,000 high-rated companies borrowed a record $860 billion, according to Dealogic.

In July, Intel Corp. INTC 0.33% sold $1.75 billion of convertible bonds, planning to use $1.5 billion of the proceeds to buy back shares. A spokesman for Intel declined to comment.

The computer-chip giant has a strong credit rating of single-A, so it doesn't carry a burdensome debt load. Still, the deal raised eyebrows among some analysts and investors, who say floating debt to buy back stock could become more common as companies regain confidence.

And as merger-and-acquisition activity revs up, the cheaper cost of debt compared with equity is tempting companies to use bond sales as a deal-making war chest.

Analysts are watching Kraft Foods Inc. in anticipation that the company would finance its proposed purchase of U.K. chocolate, candy and chewing gum maker Cadbury PLC by raising tons of debt. Last month's unsolicited bid by Kraft was then valued at about $16.7 billion, but it could be weeks before Kraft submits a formal offer.

Three major credit-ratings agencies have warned Kraft that they could slash the company's debt ratings if the company reaches a deal agreement with Cadbury. At the current offering price, Kraft would need to shell out at least $6 billion in cash, much of it likely from the debt markets, according to corporate-bond research firm Gimme Credit.

"Kraft is committed to maintaining an investment-grade rating," a Kraft spokesman said, declining to comment further.

So far in 2009, returns to high-grade bond investors are 19%, according to Merrill. "We've seen a feeding frenzy" because of low interest rates, says Kathleen Gaffney, portfolio manager at Loomis, Sayles & Co. She sold some bonds recently to take profits from the rally. Loomis Sayles wants to have cash on the sidelines in case the Fed raises rates soon or Treasury bonds sell off.

Please read the article and answer these THREE questions:

1. Why are conditions currently favorable for firms to issue debt and pay out the proceeds to stockholders?

2. What are dangerous impacts of issuing additional debt mentioned in the article?

3. TransDigm used the proceeds of their debt issue to pay a one-time dividend while Intel used the proceeds to repurchase shares. How does a repurchase differ from a one-time dividend? Why do you think the two firms chose different approaches to distributing cash to shareholders?

___________ "Borrowing for Dividends Raises Worries" at the Wall Street Journal on 10/06/2009

Rock-bottom interest rates and thawed credit markets are emboldening some companies to use bond-sale proceeds to go on the offensive, even if that means rewarding shareholders at the expense of bondholders. The nascent trend is controversial because corporate borrowers are sinking themselves deeper into debt to pay out special dividends, buy back stock or finance acquisitions. While such moves were all the rage during the credit boom, most corporate-bond offerings during the recession have been used to reduce debt or stockpile cash.

Eric Felder, global head of credit trading at Barclays Capital, says the lure of low rates and companies' stables of cash increases "the risk of non-bondholder friendly events." Last week's sale of $425 million of bonds by aircraft-parts manufacturer TransDigm Group Inc. is one of the back-to-the-past corporate-bond deals causing concern among some analysts. More than $360 million of the proceeds will be used to pay a special cash dividend to shareholders and management of the Cleveland company. The added debt increased TransDigm's borrowings to 4.3 times its earnings before interest and taxes, compared with 3.1 times before last week's deal. The expected dividend of $7.50 to $7.70 a share is equal to nearly all of the net income that TransDigm reported since the end of fiscal 2003, according to Moody's Investors Service. Moody's said the dividend "illustrates the company's aggressive financial policy." Moody's gave the new debt a junk rating of B3, even though the ratings firm said TransDigm's "strong operating performance will enable the company to service the increased debt level." Sean Maroney, director of investor relations at TransDigm, says the "stability of our business, high profit margins and consistent cash flow" give the company "the ability to support this level of leverage." Borrowing from bondholders to pay shareholder dividends is "a hallmark of an earlier credit era," Jeffrey Rosenberg, head of credit strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote in a report Friday. Such deals were popular in 2003 and 2004, the last time the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate to historically low levels, keeping it at 1% for more than a year.

Companies like Dex Media Inc. DEX -0.18% took on debt to pay dividends to its private-equity owners, including Carlyle Group and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, before taking the companies public. Dex Media filed for bankruptcy earlier this year under a mountain of debt. With the federal-funds rate at 0% for nine months now and confidence returning to the stock and debt markets, investors have been driven to take on more risk. That is flooding the corporate-bond market with cash. Investors poured $43 billion into investment-grade corporate-bond funds in the second quarter and nearly $40 billion in the third quarter -- almost double previous peak quarters, according to Lipper AMG Data Services. The wave of buying drove down borrowing costs for the average highly rated corporation to about 5%, according to Merrill, a level not seen since 2005. In the heat of the crisis last October, such rates averaged 9%. Through the end of September, more than 1,000 high-rated companies borrowed a record $860 billion, according to Dealogic. In July, Intel Corp. INTC 0.33% sold $1.75 billion of convertible bonds, planning to use $1.5 billion of the proceeds to buy back shares. A spokesman for Intel declined to comment. The computer-chip giant has a strong credit rating of single-A, so it doesn't carry a burdensome debt load. Still, the deal raised eyebrows among some analysts and investors, who say floating debt to buy back stock could become more common as companies regain confidence. And as merger-and-acquisition activity revs up, the cheaper cost of debt compared with equity is tempting companies to use bond sales as a deal-making war chest. Analysts are watching Kraft Foods Inc. in anticipation that the company would finance its proposed purchase of U.K. chocolate, candy and chewing gum maker Cadbury PLC by raising tons of debt. Last month's unsolicited bid by Kraft was then valued at about $16.7 billion, but it could be weeks before Kraft submits a formal offer.

Three major credit-ratings agencies have warned Kraft that they could slash the company's debt ratings if the company reaches a deal agreement with Cadbury. At the current offering price, Kraft would need to shell out at least $6 billion in cash, much of it likely from the debt markets, according to corporate-bond research firm Gimme Credit. "Kraft is committed to maintaining an investment-grade rating," a Kraft spokesman said, declining to comment further. So far in 2009, returns to high-grade bond investors are 19%, according to Merrill. "We've seen a feeding frenzy" because of low interest rates, says Kathleen Gaffney, portfolio manager at Loomis, Sayles & Co. She sold some bonds recently to take profits from the rally. Loomis Sayles wants to have cash on the sidelines in case the Fed raises rates soon or Treasury bonds sell off.

1. Which of the following statements is true about apartnership?

a. One capital and one drawings account is used for eachpartnership.

b. The capital account is used to record each partner'sinvestment and that partner's designated share of the earnings.

c. Partnerships are subject to separate income taxes.

d. The drawings account is closed to retained earnings at theend of the period.

2. Which of the followingstatements does not correctly describe preferred stock?

a. Preferred shareholders have a preference with respect todividend payments.

b. Preferred shareholders have a preference with respect toassets in the event of dissolution.

c. Preferred shareholders have voting rights on a per sharebasis.

d. Preferred stock typically has a fixed dividend rate.

3. Which of the followingstatements is false?

a. Common stockholders have a residual claim on assets in theevent of liquidation.

b. Shares of stock held in the treasury are subtracted from thenumber of issued shares in the determination of the number ofoutstanding shares.

c. Common stockholders have voting rights at annual stockholdermeetings.

d. Corporations are governed by their stockholders.

4. Which of the following would not be reportedas a financing activities cash flow?

a. Issuing common stock for cash.

b. Cash dividend payments.

c. Purchasing treasury stock.

d. Purchase of a building by signing a note payable.

5. Which of the following is not reported as acash flow from investing activities?

a. Sale of a depreciable asset for cash.

b. Purchasing land in exchange for common stock.

c. Selling a long-term investment at a loss for cash.

d. Purchase of a patent in exchange for cash.

6. Which of the following transactions would be reported withinthe investing section of the cash flow statement?

a. The cash sale of land at a loss.

b. The purchase of a building in exchange for common stock.

c. The receipt of a stock dividend from a stock investment.

d. The cash receipt of a dividend from a stock investment.

7. Which of the following would be subtracted from net incomewhen determining cash flows from operating activities under theindirect method?

a. A decrease in utilities payable.

b. Patent amortization expense.

c. A decrease in prepaid rent.

d. A loss on the sale of a depreciable asset.

7. Which of the following would be added to net income whendetermining cash flows from operating activities under the indirectmethod?

a. A decrease in accounts payable.

b. Patent amortization expense.

c. An increase in prepaid insurance.

d. A gain on the sale of a depreciable asset.

8. Which of the following would not be a cashflow from financing activities?

a. Issuance of common stock for cash.

b. Borrowing cash on a long-term note payable.

c. Collection of a cash dividend.

d. Repayment of principal on a long-term note payable.

9. The cash payment of a previously declared dividend increaseswhich of the following ratios?

a. Debt-to-equity.

b. Earnings per share.

c. Price/earnings ratio.

d. Asset turnover.

10. The debt-to-equity ratio measures which of thefollowing?

a. Liquidity.

b. Solvency.

c. Profitability.

d. Market strength.

11. Negative financial leverage occurs when the:

a. Average net (after tax) interest rate on borrowed funds isless than the company's earnings rate on its assets.

b. Return on assets is more than return on equity.

c. Return on equity is more than return on assets.

d. Operating expenses exceed gross profit.

12. Which of the following ratios is notconsidered to be a test of profitability?

a. Current ratio.

b. Profit margin.

c. Return on assets.

d. Earnings per share.

13. Home Depot's operating strategy is to offer a broadassortment of high-quality merchandise and services at competitiveprices using highly knowledgeable service-oriented personnel andaggressive advertising. Which of the following isnot as critical to achieving Home Depot'sstrategy?

a. Cost control

b. Product differentiation

c. High level of customer service

d. High sales volume

13. Which of the following ratios is not partof the DuPont model?

a. Asset turnover.

b. Debt-to-equity.

c. Net profit margin.

d. Return on equity.

Which of the following statements is notcorrect?

Purchasing fixed assets through debt financing decreases thefinancial leverage ratio.

Accruing an expense will affect the net profit margin ratio.

Return on equity may increase even when the financial leverageratio decreases.

Purchasing treasury stock results in a decrease in assetturnover.