4. Understanding the NPV profile If an independent project with conventional, or normal, cash flows is being analyzed, the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) methods agree. Projects Y and Z are mutually exclusive projects. Their cash flows and NPV profiles are shown as follows. Year Project Y Project Z 0 -$1,500 -$1,500 1 $200 $900 2 $400 $600 3 $600 $300 4 $1,000 $200 NPV (Dollars) 800 600 400 200 0 -200 Project Y Project Z 02 4 68 10 12 14 16 18 20 COST OF CAPITAL (Percent) If the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for each project is 14%, do the NPV and IRR methods agree or conflict? The methods conflict. O The methods agree. When there is a conflict, a key to resolving this it is the assumed reinvestment rate. The IRR calculation assumes that intermediate cash flows are reinvested at the , and the NPV calculation implicitly assumes that the rate at which cash flows can be reinvested is the As a result, when evaluating mutually exclusive projects, the is usually the better decision criterion