Last year Rosenberg Corp. had $240,000 of assets, $18,775 of net income, and a debt-to-total-assets ratio of 32%. Now suppose the new CFO convinces the president to increase the debt ratio to 48%. Sales and total assets will not be affected, but interest expenses would increase. However, the CFO believes that better cost controls would be sufficient to offset the higher interest expense and thus keep net income unchanged. By how much would the change in the capital structure improve the ROE?

Select the correct answer.

a. 4.32%

b. 4.71%

c. 3.93%

d. 3.15%

e. 3.54%