As a management school student, you are considering a potential investment in a company that appears to be of great value.

Required:

1. The company is expected to earn $8.50 per share at the end of this year. If the fair rate of return for this stock is 7.5 percent, what is an appropriate price per share for the stock if the company pays out all earnings as dividends?

2. If the company were to pay out half of its earnings as dividends and re-invest the remainder in the company to earn 9.5 percent, how would the value per share change?

3. Interpret the difference between your answers to parts 1. and 2.