Financial leverage effects

Firms HL and LL are identical except for their leverage ratios and the interest rates they pay on debt. Each has $25 million in invested capital, has $5 million of EBIT, and is in the 40% federal-plus-state tax bracket. Firm HL, however, has a debt-to-capital ratio of 55% and pays 11% interest on its debt, whereas LL has a 20% debt-to-capital ratio and pays only 10% interest on its debt. Neither firm uses preferred stock in its capital structure.

Calculate the return on invested capital (ROIC) for each firm. Round your answers to two decimal places.

ROIC for firm LL is %
ROIC for firm HL is %

Calculate the rate of return on equity (ROE) for each firm. Round your answers to two decimal places.

ROE for firm LL is %
ROE for firm HL is %

Observing that HL has a higher ROE, LL's treasurer is thinking of raising the debt-to-capital ratio from 20% to 60%, even though that would increase LL's interest rate on all debt to 15%. Calculate the new ROE for LL. Round your answer to two decimal places.

5. profit maximization and shutting down in the short run suppose that the market for polos is a competitive market. the following graph shows the daily cost curves of a firm operating in this market. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 price (dollars per polo) quantity (thousands of polos) mc atc avc for each price in the following table, calculate the firm's optimal quantity of units to produce, and determine the profit or loss if it produces at that quantity, using the data from the previous graph to identify its total variable cost. assume that if the firm is indifferent between producing and shutting down, it will produce. (hint: you can select the purple points [diamond symbols] on the previous graph to see precise information on average variable cost.) price quantity total revenue fixed cost variable cost profit (dollars per polo) (polos) (dollars) (dollars) (dollars) (dollars) 12.50 135,000 27.50 135,000 45.00 135,000 if the firm shuts down, it must incur its fixed costs (fc) in the short run. in this case, the firm's fixed cost is $135,000 per day. in other words, if it shuts down, the firm would suffer losses of $135,000 per day until its fixed costs end (such as the expiration of a building lease). this firm's shutdown price—that is, the price below which it is optimal for the firm to shut down—is per polo.

Banana computers has decided to procure processing chips required for its laptops from external suppliers instead of manufacturing them in their own facilities. how will this decision affect the firm? a. the firm will be protected against the principal-agent problem. b. the firm's administrative costs will be low because of necessary bureaucracy. c. the firm will have more flexibility in purchasing and comparing prices of goods and services. d. the firm will have high-powered incentives, such as hourly wages and salaries.

With signals from no-claim bonuses and deductibles, a. the marginal cost curve for careful drivers lies to the left of the marginal cost curve for aggressive drivers b. auto insurance companies insure more aggressive drivers than careful drivers because aggressive drivers have a greater need for the insurance c. the market for car insurance has a separating equilibrium, and the market is efficient d. most drivers pay higher premiums than if the market had no signals