Both shareholders of Ecorenewable Energy wish to increase the value of the company equity but want to retain control of the company. They will not sell shares to outside investors and believe the company’s debt is at a manageable level. They also do not wish to borrow more money. What steps can Ecorenewable Energy take to increase the share price? Are there any conditions under which this strategy would not increase the share price?

Ecorenewable Energy is a renewable wave energy firm that was established in 2016 by two finance graduates. The company manufactures and installs wave energy converters through a point absorber buoy that floats on the surface of the water. Ecorenewable Energy has experienced rapid growth because of a proprietary technology that increases the energy efficiency of its systems. The company is owned equally by the two graduates, with each person holding 50,000 shares for a total of 100,000 shares in the company. In the event either wished to sell their shares, they first had to be offered to the other at a discounted price.
Both shareholders have decided they should value their holdings in the company for financial planning purposes. To accomplish this, they have gathered the following information about their main competitors:
Ecorenewable Energy plc Competitors EPS (€) DPS (€) Share Price (€) ROE (%) R (%)
Surface Attenuator Systems 0.82 0.16 15.19 11 10 Wave Surge Oscillators plc 1.32 0.52 12.49 14 13 Water Column Oscillations SA −0.47 0.54 48.60 14 12 Industry average 0.56 0.41 25.43 13 11.67 Water Column Oscillations SA’s negative earnings per share (EPS) were the result of an accounting write-off last year. Without the write-off, EPS for the company would have been €2.34.
Last year, Ecorenewable Energy had an EPS of €4.32 and paid a total dividend of €108,000, shared equally between the two shareholders. The company had a return on equity of 25 per cent. This is more than the 20 per cent required return of the shareholders.