Question: What is asset allocation? How does it

> Listed below are data that pertain to the corporate bond market. (Note: Each “period” below covers a span of six months.) a. Compute the confidence index for each of the four periods listed above. b. Assume that the

> Data on a stock’s closing price and its price change for the last 14 trading days appears below. a. Over this 14-day period what is the average gain on up days? (Note: to calculate the average, divide the sum of all gains by 14, not b

> Briefly describe the P/E approach to stock valuation and note how this approach differs from the variable-growth DVM. Describe the P/CF approach and note how it is used in the stock valuation process. Compare the P/CF approach to the P/E approach, noting

> You find the closing prices for a stock you own. You want to use a 10-day moving average to monitor the stock. Calculate the 10-day moving average for days 11 through 20. Based on the data in the table below, are there any signals you should act on? Expl

> Why is it important to continuously manage and control your portfolio?

> If growth, income, and capital preservation are the primary objectives of mutual funds, why do we bother to categorize funds by type? Do you think such classifications are helpful in the fund selection process? Explain.

> Differentiate among market orders, limit orders, and stop-loss orders. What is the rationale for using a stop-loss order rather than a limit order?

> Compute the Arms index for the S&P 500 over the following three days: Which of the three days would be considered the most bullish? Explain why. Number of Number of Stocks Rising in Price Stocks Falling Volume for Stocks Volume for Stocks Day i

> Melissa Popp is thinking about buying some shares of R. H. Lawncare Equipment, at $48 per share. She expects the price of the stock to rise to $60 over the next three years. During that time she also expects to receive annual dividends of $4 per share. a

> Last year, InDebt Company paid $75 million of interest expense, and its average rate of interest for the year was 10%. The company’s ROE is 15%, and it pays no dividends. Estimate next year’s interest expense assuming that interest rates will fall by 25%

> World Wide Web Wares (4W, for short) is an online retailer of small kitchen appliances and utensils. The firm has been around for a few years and has created a nice market niche for itself. In fact, it actually turned a profit last year, albeit a fairly

> Newco is a young company that has yet to make a profit. You are trying to place a value on the stock, but it pays no dividends and you obviously cannot calculate a P/E ratio. As a result, you decide to look at other stocks in the same industry as Newco t

> Assume you obtain the following information about a certain company: Total assets ……………………………………………………………………. $50,000,000 Total equity ……………………………………………………………………. $25,000,000 Net income ……………………………………………………………………… $3,750,000 EPS ………………………………………………………………

> Assume a major investment service has just given Oasis Electronics its highest investment rating, along with a strong buy recommendation. As a result, you decide to take a look for yourself and to place a value on the company’s stock. Here’s what you fin

> A particular company currently has sales of $250 million; sales are expected to grow by 20% next year (year 1). For the year after next (year 2), the growth rate in sales is expected to equal 10%. Over each of the next two years, the company is expected

> How would you go about finding the expected return on a stock? Note how such information would be used in the stock selection process.

> Dave and Marlene Carter live in the Boston area, where Dave has a successful orthodontics practice. Dave and Marlene have built up a sizable investment portfolio and have always had a major portion of their investments in fixed-income securities. They ad

> New Millennium Company earned $2.5 million in net income last year. It took depreciation deductions of $300,000 and made new investments in working capital and fixed assets of $100,000 and $350,000, respectively. a. What was New Millennium’s free cash fl

> Assume there are three companies that in the past year paid exactly the same annual dividend of $2.25 a share. In addition, the future annual rate of growth in dividends for each of the three companies has been estimated as follows: Assume also that as

> Briefly differentiate among the following types of brokerage accounts: a. Single or joint b. Custodial c. Cash d. Margin e. Wrap

> This year, Shoreline Light and Gas (SL&G) paid its stockholders an annual dividend of $3 a share. A major brokerage firm recently put out a report on SL&G predicting that the company’s annual dividends would grow at the rate of 10% per year for each of t

> The price of Myrtle’s Plumbing Supply Co. is now $80. The company pays no dividends. Ms. Bossard expects the price three years from now to be $110 per share. Should she buy Myrtle’s Plumbing stock if she desires a 10% rate of return? Explain.

> Let’s assume that you’re thinking about buying stock in West Coast Electronics. So far in your analysis, you’ve uncovered the following information: The stock pays annual dividends of $5.00 a share indefinitely. It trades at a P/E of 10 times earnings an

> Assume you’ve generated the following information about the stock of Bufford’s Burger Barns: The company’s latest dividends of $4 a share are expected to grow to $4.32 next year, to $4.67 the year after that, and to $5.04 in three years. After that, you

> An investor estimates that next year’s sales for Dursley’s Hotels, Inc., should amount to about $100 million. The company has five million shares outstanding, generates a net profit margin of about 10%, and has a payout ratio of 50%. All figures are expe

> Financial Learning Systems has 2.5 million shares of common stock outstanding and 100,000 shares of preferred stock. (The preferred pays annual cash dividends of $5 a share, and the common pays annual cash dividends of 25 cents a share.) Last year, the c

> Highgate Computer Company produces $1.8 million in profits from $27 million in sales. It has total assets of $15 million. a. Calculate Highgate’s total asset turnover and its net profit margin. b. Find the company’s ROA, ROE, and book value per share, gi

> What role could an asset allocation fund play? What makes an asset allocation scheme effective?

> Jack Arnold is a resident of Lubbock, Texas, where he is a prosperous rancher and businessman. He has also built up a sizable portfolio of common stock, which, he believes, is due to the fact that he thoroughly evaluates each stock he invests in. As Jack

> PEGCOR has a P/E ratio of 15. Earnings per share are $2.00, and the expected EPS five years from today is $3.22. Calculate the PEG ratio.

> The Amherst Company has net profits of $10 million, sales of $150 million, and 2.5 million shares of common stock outstanding. The company has total assets of $75 million and total stockholders’ equity of $45 million. It pays $1 per share in common divid

> The following summary financial statistics were obtained from the 2015 Otago Bay Marine Motors (OBMM) annual report. 2015 ($ in millions) Sales revenue ………………………………………………………………………………… $179.3 Total assets …………………………………………………………………………………… $136.3 Net earni

> Describe the types of services offered by brokerage firms, and discuss the criteria for selecting a suitable stockbroker.

> The following table lists the 2015 and 2016 financial statements for Otago Bay Marine Motors, a major manufacturer of top-of-the-line outboard motors. a. On the basis of the information provided, calculate the following financial ratios for 2015 and

> Listed below are six pairs of stocks. Pick one of these pairs and then, using the resources available at your campus or public library (or on the Internet), comparatively analyze the two stocks. Which is fundamentally stronger and holds more promise for

> Using the resources available at your campus or public library (or on the Internet), select any common stock you like and determine as many of the profitability, activity, liquidity, leverage, and market ratios covered in this and the preceding chapter a

> Stroud Sporting Gear Inc. has a net profit margin of 9%, a total asset turnover of 2.4, total assets of $225 million, and total equity of $120 million. What is the company’s return on equity?

> Find the EPS, P/E ratio, and dividend yield of a company that has five million shares of common stock outstanding (the shares trade in the market at $25), earns 10% after taxes on annual sales of $150 million, and has a dividend payout ratio of 35%. At w

> Briefly describe the basic approaches to asset allocation: (a) fixed weightings, (b) flexible weightings, and (c) tactical asset allocation.

> The Buffalo Manufacturing Company has total assets of $12 million, an asset turnover of 2.2 times, and a net profit margin of 14%. a. What is Buffalo’s return on assets? b. Find Buffalo’s ROE, given that 40% of the assets are financed with stockholders’

> What is the difference between the variable-growth dividend valuation model and the free cash flow to equity approach to stock valuation? Which procedure would work better if you were trying to value a growth stock that pays little or no dividends? Expla

> Assume you are given the following abbreviated financial statement. ($ in millions) Current assets …………………………………………………………………………………. $150.0 Fixed and other assets ……………………………………….…………………………… $200.0 Total assets ……………………………………….……………………………………………. $350.0 C

> Consider the following information about Truly Good Coffee, Inc. Total assets …………………………………………………………………… $240 million Total debt ……………………………………………………………………….. $115 million Preferred stock ……………………………………………………………….. $ 25 million Common stockholders’ equi

> On January 1, 2013, an investor bought 200 shares of Gottahavit, Inc., for $50 per share. On January 3, 2014, the investor sold the stock for $55 per share. The stock paid a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share. How much (in $) did the investor earn on

> George Robbins considers himself an aggressive investor. He’s thinking about investing in some foreign securities and is looking at stocks in (1) Bayer AG, the big German chemical and health-care firm, and (2) Swisscom AG, the Swiss telecommunications co

> Discuss each of the following as they are related to assessing bond market behavior. a. Bond yields b. Bond indexes

> Ravi Dumar is a stockbroker who lives with his wife, Sasha, and their five children in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ravi firmly believes that the only way to make money in the market is to follow an aggressive investment posture—for example, to use margin tradi

> In January 2012 an investor purchased 800 shares of Engulf & Devour, a rapidly growing high-tech conglomerate. From 2012 through 2016, the stock turned in the following dividend and share price performance. On the basis of this information, find th

> Using the resources at your campus or public library or on the Internet, select any three common stocks you like and determine the latest book value per share, earnings per share, dividend payout ratio, and dividend yield for each. (Show all your calcula

> Southern Cities Trucking Company has the following five-year record of earnings per share. Year ……………………………………………………..………………………………… EPS 2012 ……………………………………………………………………………………… $1.40 2013 ……………………………………………………………………………………… $2.10 2014 …………………………………………………………

> Wilfred Nadeau owns 200 shares of Consolidated Glue. The company’s board of directors recently declared a cash dividend of 50 cents a share payable April 18 (a Wednesday) to shareholders of record on March 22 (a Thursday). a. How much in dividends, if an

> Briefly describe the dividend valuation model and the three versions of this model. Explain how CAPM fits into the DVM.

> An investor owns some stock in Harry’s Pottery Inc. The stock recently underwent a 5-for-3 stock split. If the stock was trading at $40 per share just before the split, how much is each share most likely selling for after the split? If the investor owned

> Assume you wish to evaluate the risk and return behaviors associated with various combinations of assets V and W under three assumed degrees of correlation: perfect positive, uncorrelated, and perfect negative. The following average return and risk value

> You have been asked for your advice in selecting a portfolio of assets and have been supplied with the following data. You have been told that you can create two portfolios—one consisting of assets A and B and the other consisting of

> You have been given the following return data on three assets—F, G, and H—over the period 2018–2021. Using these assets, you have isolated three investment alternatives: Alternative Investment

> Refer to Problem 5.3. Assume that asset L represents 60% of the portfolio and asset M is 40%. Calculate the average return and standard deviation of this portfolio’s returns over the six-year period. Compare your answers to the answers

> Referring to Problem 5.30, assume that you believe that each of the five assets will earn the return shown in the table below. Based on these figures and the weights in Problem 5.29, what returns do you believe that Portfolios A and B will earn. Which po

> Briefly describe the composition and general thrust of each of the following indexes. a. NYSE Composite Index b. NYSE MKT Composite Index c. Nasdaq Stock Market indexes d. Value Line Composite Index

> Describe the two items an investor should consider before reaching a decision to sell an investment.

> Assume you are considering a portfolio containing two assets, L and M. Asset L will represent 40% of the dollar value of the portfolio, and asset M will account for the other 60%. The projected returns over the next six years, 2018–2023

> Jeanne Lewis is attempting to evaluate two possible portfolios consisting of the same five assets but held in different proportions. She is particularly interested in using beta to compare the risk of the portfolios and, in this regard, has gathered the

> Stock A has a beta of 0.8, stock B has a beta of 1.4, and stock C has a beta of -0.3. a. Rank these stocks from the most risky to the least risky. b. If the return on the market portfolio increases by 12%, what change in the return for each of the stocks

> In the stock valuation framework, how can you tell whether a particular security is a worthwhile investment candidate? What roles does the required rate of return play in this process? Would you invest in a stock if all you could earn was a rate of retur

> If portfolio A has a beta of 1.5 and portfolio Z has a beta of -1.5, what do the two values indicate? If the return on the market rises by 20%, what impact, if any, would this have on the returns from portfolios A and Z? Explain.

> For his portfolio, Jack Cashman randomly selected securities from all those listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He began with one security and added securities one by one until a total of 20 securities were held in the portfolio. After each security w

> Portfolios A through J, which are listed in the following table along with their returns (rp) and risk (measured by the standard deviation, sp), represent all currently available portfolios in the feasible or attainable set. a. Plot the feasible, or at

> The risk-free rate is currently 3%, and the market return is 10%. Assume you are considering the following investments. Investment ……………………………………………………………………………. Beta A ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1.5 B ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1.

> Jay is reviewing his portfolio of investments, which include certain stocks and bonds. He has a large amount tied up in U.S. Treasury bills paying 3%. He is considering moving some of his funds from the T-bills into a stock. The stock has a beta of 1.25.

> Use the capital asset pricing model to find the required return for each of the following securities in light of the data given. Security Risk-Free Rate Market Return Beta A 5% 8% 1.3 В 8% 13% 0.9 9% 12% 0.2 10% 15% 1.0 6% 10% 0.6

> Identify and briefly discuss several aspects of an industry that are important to its behavior and operating characteristics. Note especially how economic issues fit into industry analysis.

> Referring to Problem 5.20, using the portfolio beta, what would you expect the value of your portfolio to be if the market rallied 20%? Declined 20%? Problem 5.20: Referring to Problem 5.19, assume you have a portfolio with $20,000 invested in each of

> List each of the major averages or indexes prepared by (a) Dow Jones & Company and (b) Standard & Poor’s Corporation. Indicate the number and source of the securities used in calculating each average or index.

> Using your data from Problem 5.1, calculate the portfolio standard deviation. Problem 5.1: Your portfolio had the values in the following table for the four years listed. There were no withdrawals or contributions of new funds to the portfolio. Calcula

> Assume the betas for securities A, B, and C are as shown here. Security ……………………………………………………………………………………. Beta A ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1.4 B ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 0.8 C ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. -0.9 a. Ca

> What is the market multiple and how can it help in evaluating a stock’s P/E ratio? Is a stock’s relative P/E the same thing as the market multiple? Explain.

> A security has a beta of 1.2. Is this security more or less risky than the market? Explain. Assess the impact on the required return of this security in each of the following cases. a. The market return increases by 15%. b. The market return decreases by

> Imagine you wish to estimate the betas for two investments, A and B. You have gathered the following return data for the market and for each of the investments over the past 10 years, 2008–2017. a. On a set of market return (x-axis)&a

> Use the table of annual returns in Problem 5.9 for Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) to create an Excel spreadsheet that calculates the correlation coefficient for HD and LOW annual returns. Problem 5.9: The following table contains an

> Use the table of annual returns in Problem 5.9 for Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) to create an Excel spreadsheet that calculates the standard deviation of annual returns for HD, LOW, and the equally weighted portfolio of HD and LOW.

> The following table lists the lump sum payout, the timing of that payout, and the discount rate associated with five different investments. Calculate the present value of each investment. Investment Future Sum Discount Rate Payout at End of Year $ 7

> Give two reasons why an investor might want to maintain funds in a low-risk, highly liquid investment.

> Assume you can earn 9% on the investments described below. How much money would each investment provide for you after six years? a. Invest $5,000 as a lump sum today. b. Invest $2,000 at the end of each of the next six years. c. Invest a lump sum of $3,0

> If you deposit $1,000 into an account at the end of each of the next 10 years and the account pays an annual interest rate of 2%, how much will be in the account after 10 years?

> The following table describes the characteristics of five annuities. Calculate the future value of each annuity given its characteristics. Annual Annuity Payment Annuity Length (yr) Interest Deposit Rate $ 2,500 $ 500 $ 1,000 A 8% 10 B 12% 6 20% D $

> The chart shows the number of global corporate bond issues for which Standard & Poor’s issued ratings upgrades or downgrades every year from 1981 to 2014. a. What is the trend in the number of ratings changes (both upgrades and down

> For each of the following initial investment amounts, calculate the future value at the end of the investment period if interest compounds annually. Investment Investment Amount Rate of Return Investment Period (yr) $ 200 $ 4,500 A 5% 20 8% 7 $10,00

> Can the growth prospects of a company affect its price-to-earnings multiple? Explain. How about the amount of debt a firm uses? Are there any other variables that affect the level of a firm’s P/E ratio?

> Which investment approach (or approaches) do you feel would be most appropriate for a quality-conscious investor? What kind of investment approach do you think you’d be most comfortable with? Explain.

> Using a financial calculator or spreadsheet, calculate the following. a. The future value of a $350 deposit left in an account paying 6% annual interest for 10 years. b. The future value at the end of five years of a $700 annual end-of-year deposit into

> Kent Weitz wishes to assess whether the following investments are satisfactory. Use his required return (discount rate) of 17% to evaluate each investment. Make an investment recommendation to Kent. Investment ($) A B Purchase Price $13,000 $8,500 E

> Terri Allessandro has an opportunity to make any of the following investments. The purchase price, the lump-sum future value, and the year of receipt are given below for each investment. Terri can earn a 10% rate of return on investments similar to those

> Describe how a limit order can be used when securities are bought or sold. How can a stop-loss order be used to reduce losses? To protect profit?

> Using a financial calculator or an Excel spreadsheet, calculate the following. a. The present value of $500 to be received four years from now, using an 11% discount rate. b. The present value of the following end-of-year income streams, using a 9% disco

> For each of the investments below, calculate the present value of the annual end-of-year payments at the specified discount rate over the given period. Investment Annual Payments Discount Rate Period (yr) $ 1,200 $ 5,500 A 7% 3 B 12% 15 $ 700 20% 9

> Consider the streams of income given in the following table. a. Find the present value of each income stream, using a 1% discount rate, then repeat those calculations using an 8% discount rate. b. Compare the present values and discuss them in light of t

> Find the present value of each of the following streams of income, assuming a 12% discount rate. A End of Year Income End of Year Income End of Year Income 1 $2,200 1 $10,000 1-5 $10,000/yr $3,000 $5,000/yr $ 8,000/yr 2 2-5 6-10 $4,000 6 $7,000 4 $6

> The accompanying table shows a series of transactions in a savings account. The account pays 6% simple interest, and the account owner withdraws interest as soon as it is paid. Create a new table that shows (a) the account balance at the end of each year

> Given a real rate of interest of 2%, an expected inflation premium of 3%, and risk premiums for investments A and B of 4% and 6%, respectively, find the following. a. The risk-free rate of return, rf b. The required returns for investments A and B

> At the beginning of this chapter you read about a 2015 earnings announcement from HP in which earnings per share were reported as $1.85 for the quarter. Let’s make a simple assumption and say that earnings for the year were four times as much, or $7.40 p