Why cost of equity is higher than cost of debt?

Is cost of equity capital less than cost of debt capital?

Cost of equity > Cost of debt Reason: When u issue debt, for example in the form of bonds, u have to pay bondholders interest. This interest is tax deductible. On the other hand, when u issue equity, i.e. stocks, u pay dividends. This dividend is taxed as corporate income. Because of the ability of debt to escape taxation vis-a-vis equity, cost of debt is lower than cost of equity. In fact, this is called a debt tax shield.

Is pretax cost of equity higher or lower than after tax cost of equity?

they are equal

Why does the weighted average cost of capital of firms that uses more debt capital lower that that of a firm that uses less debt capital?

Because the cost of debt is generally lower than the cost of equity. This is because in case of financial distress, debt-holders are repaid before the equity holders are, as well as because debt has the assets of the firm as collateral and equity does not.

When a firm initially substitutes debt for equity financing what happens to the cost of capital and why?

When a firm substitutes debt for equity financing, the cost of capital generally decreases. This is because debt financing is typically cheaper than equity financing, as interest payments on debt are tax-deductible, while dividends on equity are not. By substituting debt for equity, the firm reduces its overall cost of capital and improves its financial position.

Why don't financial managers use as little debt as possible to keep the cost of equity down?

The answer to the question depends on the motivations of management. Increasing debt increases risk should the economy weaken and repayment becomes a problem. Managers who are owners often prefer to minimize debt regardless of its cost so as to preserve a margin of safety in case hard times comes. If the manager is not an owner, debt is attractive because it provides leverage. Suppose a company without debt earns $100,000 on equity of $1 million. Its return on equity is 10%. Now suppose the manager could borrow another $1 million. If he paid 5% interest, he would net $50,000 additional earnings. Note that the resulting $150,000 of earnings would be a 15% return on the $1 million of equity. Investors would bid up the price of the stock based on the higher return on equity. The Cost of Debt: when a company borrows funds from a financial institution, the interest amount paid on that debt is called cost of debt. Cost of Equity: When a company raises money from shareholders by issuing more shares to them or shares to new shareholders, then the dividend (interest) paid to them is called cost of equity. The use of debt lowers the cost of capital not the cost of equity. Debt holders are paid back before equity holders, therefore there is a decreased risk for debt. Because of the ability of debt to escape taxation vs equity, cost of debt is lower than cost of equity. With all that said; Debt costs less than equity financing, because it is tax deductable vs dividends, that are not tax deductable. Debt to a bank though is more risky from a company's perspective because of liquidation risk vs stock value risk. Maximizing shareholder value is the goal of a company, but risking losing the company and one's job, to the bank and liquidation vs a decrease in stock value, is usually preferable. But, one of the main reasons that financial managers don't use as little debt as possible is because using it allows companies to do projects that they otherwise might be able to afford.

The cost of external equity is greater than the cost of retained earnings because a. floatation costs on new equity b. capital gains tax on new equity c. interest expense d. risk premium?

The cost of external equity is higher because the floatation costs on new equity.

Is debt to equity ration generally equal or less than the debt to asset ratio?

less

Which one is greater debt or equity?

There is not a real answer to this question. It can be either. Debt and equity sum to the total assets. Either one could be more than the other.

Is underwriting spread for debt is generally less than that for equity?

yes

What portion of the WACC calculation is impacted by taxes?

The cost of debt is affected by taxes. The debt portion of the WACC is calculated as (total debt / total invested capital)*expected return on debt*(1 - tax rate). More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WACC

What is ideal debt to equity ratio?

Debt-to-Equity ratio compares the Total Liabilities to the Total Equity of the company. It paints a useful picture of the company's liability position and is frequently used. Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholder's EquityBoth the Total Liabilities and Shareholder's Equity are found on the Balance Sheet.When this number is less than 1, it indicates that the company's creditors have less money in the company than its equity holders. That, typically, would be an ideal threshold to be below.It's common for large, well-established companies to have Debt-to-Equity ratios exceeding 1. For instance, GE carries a Debt-to-Equity ratio of around 4.4 (440%), and IBM around (1.3)130%.

What are Factors affecting weighted average cost of capital?

You can calculate WACC for any company that is publicly traded (on a US exchange) at http://ThatsWACC.com. You type in the firm's stock ticker symbol, and the site will pull back the relevant figures from the firm's balance sheet and income statement to generate the cost of debt, cost of capital, and the relative proportions of each.