5. The cost of equity In financial analysis, it is important to select an appropriate discount rate. A project's discount rate must be high to compensate investors for the project's risk. The return that shareholders require from the company as a compensation for their investment risk is referred to as the cost of equity. Consider this case: Hack Wellington Co is a 100% equity-financed company (no debt or preferred stock); hence, its WACC equals its cost of common equity. Hack Wellington Co's retained earnings will be sufficient to fund its capital budget in the foreseeable future. The company has a beta of 1.35, the risk-free rate is 4.5%, and the market return is 5.9%. What is Hack Wellington Co's cost of equity? O 1.95% O 8.02% O 19.0896 O 6.39% Hack Wellington Co is financed exclusively using equity funding and has a cost of equity of 13.05%. It is considering the following projects for investment next year: Project w Required Investment $19,825 $22,375 Expected Rate of Return 14.60% 13.109 Y 511,275 12.10% Z $15,675 13.6596 Each project has average risk, and Hack Wellington Co accepts any project whose expected rate of return exceeds its cost of capital. How large should next year's capital budget be? O $57,875 O $31,100 O $49,325 O $38,050