Create an 8-10 page report in which you examine a major public company and provide a recommendation on how shareholder value could be enhanced, with resulting impact on the firm’s capital structure and stock value.
This portfolio work project will illustrate what potential financial strategies can be employed by firms to impact company valuation and how they should be financed. This is a relevant concept for both large and small companies. You will have a chance to apply the skills expected of an MBA graduate; from the financial management perspective, you should be able to:
This assessment requires you to examine a major public company and provide recommendations on how shareholder value could be enhanced, with resulting impact on the firm’s capital structure and stock value. You will estimate the firm’s current WACC.
Fast forward to when you have successfully completed the MBA program. You are now a Chief Financial Officer of a large, publicly traded company at (go ahead and insert your dream company here). Using your dream company, conduct extensive research on the current situation of the company using resources like the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, GuruFocus, Yahoo Finance, EDGAR, and the Capella library. As the CFO, you have been given a project by the CEO and Board of Directors to prepare a report on ways to financially engineer the company to increase stock price.
From the company’s website, go to the financial section and examine the financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows) and 10K and 10Q reports, and conduct a financial ratio analysis including the following: current ratio, debt to equity ratio, return on equity (ROE) ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share (EPS or the last 4 quarters), price to earnings ratio (P/E), and market to book ratio. Compare these ratios to those of the company’s nearest competitor.
Assume that the objective of upper management is to maximize shareholder value by increasing the price of the stock. Describe the subjective impacts (threats, opportunities, competitive edge) that are unique to the firm and its industry that you found in your research.
Based on the ratio results and research, from the following list of ways to financially engineer an increase in stock price, evaluate each method, examine its pros and cons, and then select the best ways for the firm to increase the stock price. Be as specific as you can by using qualitative assessments without proprietary company information:
YOUR ROLE
You are the Chief Financial Officer of your selected company.
The report you submit to the CEO should meet these expectations:
Report requirements:
Related company standards:
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:
Faculty will use the scoring guide to review your deliverable as if they were your CEO. Review the scoring guide prior to developing and submitting your assessment.
Criteria | Non-performance | Basic | Proficient | Distinguished |
Evaluate strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value. | Does not analyze strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value. | Analyzes strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value. | Evaluates strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value. | Evaluates strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value; evaluation includes how strategies will impact the price the stock in the short term or long run based on behavioral models and theories. |
Analyze financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash. | Does not analyze financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash. | Analyzes financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash; however, analysis is faulty and does not support claims of how to optimally use cash. | Analyzes financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash. | Evaluates financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash |
Recommend the best strategies to gain the most optimal performance. | Does not recommend strategies to gain the most optimal performance. | Recommends strategies, but they are not the best ones to gain the most optimal performance. | Recommends the best strategies to gain the most optimal performance. | Recommends the best strategies to gain the most optimal performance; provides quantitative and qualitative data to support recommendations. Justifies strategies with historical examples and other qualitative information. |
Evaluate how the recommendations impact the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC. | Does not evaluate how the recommendation impacts the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC. | Evaluates how the recommendation impacts the capital structure and the risk of the company the WACC; however, the evaluation does not consider all factors and possible implications. | Evaluates how the recommendation impacts the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC. | Evaluates how the recommendation impacts the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC; provides quantitative and qualitative data to support evaluation. Indicates how the new strategy will be financed and how that will impact WACC and the firm’s capital structure. |