(Weighted average cost of capital)As a member of the Finance Department of Ranch Manufacturing, your supervisor has asked you to compute the appropriate discount rate to use when evaluating the purchase of new packaging equipment for the plant. Under the assumption that the firm's present capital structure reflects the appropriate mix of capital sources for the firm, you have determined the market value of the firm's capital structure as follows:

Source of Capital	Market Values
Bonds	$3,600,000
Preferred stock	$2,300,000
Common stock	$5,500,000

.

To finance the purchase, Ranch Manufacturing will sell 10-year bonds paying interest at a rate of 7.1 percent per year(with semiannual payment) at the market price of $1,041. Preferred stock paying a $2.08 dividend can be sold for $25.69. Common stock for Ranch Manufacturing is currently selling for $54.18 per share and the firm paid a $3.07 dividend last year. Dividends are expected to continue growing at a rate of 5.5 percent per year into the indefinite future. If the firm's tax rate is 30 percent, what discount rate should you use to evaluate the equipment purchase?

a.Calculate component weights of capital.

The weight of preferred stock in the firm's capital structure is

The weight of common stock in the firm's capital structure is

b.Calculate component costs of capital.

The after-tax cost of debt for the firm is

The cost of preferred stock for the firm is

The cost of common equity for the firm is

c.Calculate the firm's weighted average cost of capital.

The discount rate you should use to evaluate the equipment purchase is