Stock Valuation Robert Balik and Carol Kiefer are senior vice presidents of the Mutual of Chicago Insurance Company. They are codirectors of the companys pension fund management division, with Balik having responsibility for fixed-income securities (primarily bonds) and Kiefer being responsible for equity investments. A major new client, the California League of Cities, has requested that Mutual of Chicago present an investment seminar to the mayors of the represented cities; and Balik and Kiefer, who will make the actual presentation, have asked you to help them. To illustrate the common stock valuation process, Balik and Kiefer have asked you to analyze the Bon Temps Company, an employment agency that supplies word-processor operators and computer programmers to businesses with temporarily heavy workloads. You are to answer the following questions:

a. Describe briefly the legal rights and privileges of common stockholders.

b. 1. Write a formula that can be used to value any stock, regardless of its dividend pattern.

2. What is a constant growth stock? How are constant growth stocks valued?

3. What are the implications if a company forecasts a constant g that exceeds its r? Will many stock have expected g>r in the short run (i.e., for the next few years)? In the long run (i.e. forever)?

c. Assume that Bon Temps has a beta coefficient of 1.2, that the risk-free rate (the yield on T-bonds) is 3%, and that the required rate of return on the market is 8%. What is Bon Tempss required rate of return?

d. Assume that Bon Temps is a constant growth company whose last dividend (D), which was paid yesterday was $2.00 and whose dividend is expected to grow indefinitely at a 4% rate.

1. What is the firms expected dividend stream over the next 3 years?

2. What is its current stock price?

3. What is the stocks expected value 1 year from now?

4. What are the expected dividend yield, capital gains yield, and total return during the first year?

e. Now assume that the stock is currently selling at $40.00. What is its expected rate of return?

f. What would the stock price be if its dividends were expected to have zero growth?

g. Now assume that Bon Tempss dividend is expected to grow 30% the first year, 20% the second year, 10% the third year, and return to its long-run constant growth rate of 4%. What is the stocks value under these conditions? What are its expected dividend and capital gains yields in Year 1, Year 4?

h. Suppose Bon Temps is expected to experience zero growth during the first 3 years and then resume its steady-state growth of 4% in the fourth year. What would be its value then? What would be its expected dividend and capital gains yields in Year 1? In Year 4?

i. Finally, assume that Bon Tempss earnings and dividends are expected to decline at a constant rate of 4% per year, that is, g=-4%. Why would anyone be willing to buy such a stock, and at what price should it sell? What would be its dividend and capital gains yields