Deck 22: Mergers and Corporate Control

Question 1

A parent holding company sells shares in its subsidiary such that the parent now owns only 65% of the subsidiary and, thus, the tax returns of the parent and its subsidiary can't be consolidated.The parent receives annual dividends from the subsidiary of $2,500,000.If the parent's marginal tax rate is 25% and if the exclusion on intercompany dividends is 50%, what is the effective tax rate on the intercompany dividends, and how much net dividends are received?

A) 12.5%; $2,187,500
B) 12.5%; $2,135,000
C) 23.8%; $1,905,000
D) 12.5%; $1,750,000
E) 25.0%; $1,650,000

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A company seeking to fight off a hostile takeover might employ the services of an investment banking firm to develop a defensive strategy.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In a merger with true synergies, the post-merger value exceeds the sum of the separate companies' pre-merger values.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following statements is most CORRECT?

A) A defensive merger is one where the firm's managers decide to merge with another firm to avoid or lessen the possibility of being acquired through a hostile takeover.
B) Acquiring firms send a signal that their stock is undervalued if they choose to use stock to pay for the acquisition.
C) Cash payments are used in takeovers but never in mergers.
D) Managers often are fired in takeovers, but never in mergers.
E) If a company that produces military equipment merges with a company that manages a chain of motels, this is an example of a horizontal merger.

Question 5

If a petrochemical firm that used oil as feedstock merged with an oil producer that had large oil reserves and a drilling subsidiary, this would be a vertical merger.

Question 6

Which of the following are legal and acceptable reasons for the high level of merger activity in the U.S.during the 1980s?

A) A profitable firm acquires a firm with large accumulated tax losses that may be carried forward.
B) Attempts to stabilize earnings by diversifying.
C) Purchase of assets below their replacement costs.
D) Reduction in competition resulting from mergers.
E) Synergistic benefits arising from mergers.

Question 7

The purchase of assets at below their replacement cost and tax considerations are two factors that motivate mergers.

Question 8

Since a manager's central goal is to maximize the firm's stock price, any merger offer that provides stockholders with significant gains over the current stock price will be approved by the current management team.

Question 9

A conglomerate merger occurs when two firms with either a horizontal or a vertical business relationship combine.

Question 10

Post-merger control and the negotiated price paid by the acquirer are two of the most important issues in agreeing on the terms of a merger.

Question 11

The primary reason managers give for most mergers is to acquire more assets so as to increase sales and market share.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is most CORRECT?

A) The smaller the synergistic benefits of a particular merger, the greater the scope for striking a bargain in negotiations, and the higher the probability that the merger will be completed.
B) Since mergers are frequently financed by debt rather than equity, a lower cost of debt or a greater debt capacity are rarely relevant considerations when considering a merger.
C) Managers who purchase other firms often assert that the new combined firm will enjoy benefits from diversification, including more stable earnings.However, since shareholders are free to diversify their own holdings, and at what's probably a lower cost, diversification benefits is generally not a valid motive for a publicly held firm.
D) Operating economies are never a motive for mergers.
E) Tax considerations often play a part in mergers.If one firm has excess cash, purchasing another firm exposes the purchasing firm to additional taxes.Thus, firms with excess cash rarely undertake mergers.

Question 13

A spin-off is a type of divestiture in which the assets of a division are sold to another firm.

Question 14

Since managers' central goal is to maximize stock price, managerial control issues do not interfere with mergers that would benefit the target firm's stockholders.

Question 15

One of the main reasons why foreign firms are interested in buying U.S.companies is to gain entrance to the U.S.market.A decline in the value of the dollar relative to most foreign currencies makes this competitive strategy especially attractive.

Question 16

A congeneric merger is one where the merging firms operate in related businesses but do not necessarily produce the same products or have a producer-supplier relationship.

Question 17

Merger activity is likely to heat up when interest rates are high because target firms can expect to receive an especially high premium over the pre-announcement stock price.

Question 18

Firms use defensive tactics to fight off undesired mergers.These tactics do not include

A) getting a white squire to purchase stock in the firm.
B) getting white knights to bid for the firm.
C) repurchasing their own stock.
D) changing the bylaws to eliminate supermajority voting requirements.
E) raising antitrust issues.

Question 19

Most defensive mergers occur as a result of managers' actions to maximize shareholders' wealth.

Question 20

Synergistic benefits can arise from a number of different sources, including operating economies of scale, financial economies, and increased managerial efficiency.

Question 21

Any goodwill created in a merger must be amortized over its expected life, usually 40 years, for shareholder reporting purposes.

Question 22

The present value of the free cash flows discounted at the unlevered cost of equity is the value of the firm's operations if it had no debt.

Question 23

Borrowing funds on terms that would require immediate repayment of all funds if the firm is acquired, selling off valuable assets, and granting huge "golden parachutes" that open if the firm is acquired are three procedures used to defend against hostile takeovers.These strategies are known as "poison pills."

Question 24

The owners of Arthouse Inc., a national artist supplies chain, are contemplating purchasing Craftworks Inc, a smaller chain.Arthouse's analysts project that the merger will result in incremental free flows and interest tax savings with a combined present value of $72.52 million, and they have determined that the appropriate discount rate for valuing Craftworks is 16%.Craftworks has 4 million shares outstanding and no debt.Craftworks' current price is $16.25.What is the maximum price per share that Arthouse should offer?

A) $16.25
B) $16.97
C) $17.42
D) $18.13
E) $19.00

Question 25

Although goodwill created in a merger may not be amortized for shareholder reporting purposes, it may be amortized for Federal tax purposes.

Question 26

In a financial merger, the relevant post-merger cash flows are simply the sum of the expected cash flows of the two companies, measured as if they were operated independently.

Question 27

Since the primary rationale for any operating merger is synergy, in planning such mergers, the development of accurate pro forma cash flows is the single most important action.

Question 28

A two-tier merger offer is one where the acquiring company offers to purchase the target company in a two-part transaction.Cash is paid to some stockholders, bonds are issued to others, but the total values of each part of the transaction are equal.

Question 29

Coca-Cola's acquisition of Columbia Pictures and its announcement that it would operate its new subsidiary separately could be described as primarily a financial merger.

Question 30

Only if a target firm's value is greater to the acquiring firm than its market value as a separate entity will a merger be financially justified.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about valuing a firm using the compressed adjusted present value (CAPV) approach is most CORRECT?

A) The horizon value is calculated by discounting the free cash flows beyond the horizon date and any tax savings at the cost of debt.
B) The horizon value is calculated by discounting the expected earnings at the WACC.
C) The horizon value is calculated by discounting the free cash flows beyond the horizon date and any tax savings at the WACC.
D) The horizon value must always be more than 20 years in the future.
E) The horizon value is calculated by discounting the free cash flows beyond the horizon date and any tax savings at the levered cost of equity.

Question 32

Which of the following statements is most CORRECT?

A) Regulations in the United States prohibit acquiring firms from using common stock to purchase another firm.
B) Defensive mergers are designed to make a company less vulnerable to a takeover.
C) Hostile mergers always create value for the acquiring firm.
D) In a tender offer, the target firm's management always remain after the merger is completed.
E) A conglomerate merger is one where a firm combines with another firm in the same industry.

Question 33

If the capital structure is stable, and free cash flows are expected to be growing at a constant rate at the horizon date, then the horizon value is calculated by discounting the free cash flows plus the expected future tax shields at the weighted average cost of capital.

Question 34

A joint venture is one in which two, or sometimes more, independent companies agree to combine resources in order to achieve a specific objective, usually limited in scope.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is most CORRECT?

A) Financial theory says that the choice of how to pay for a merger is really irrelevant because, although it may affect the firm's capital structure, it will not affect its overall required rate of return.
B) The basic rationale for any financial merger is synergy and, thus, the estimation of pro forma cash flows is the single most important part of the analysis.
C) In most mergers, the benefits of synergy and the premium the acquirer pays over the market price are summed and then divided equally between the shareholders of the acquiring and target firms.
D) The primary rationale for most operating mergers is synergy.
E) The acquiring firm's required rate of return in most horizontal mergers will not be affected, because the 2 firms will have similar betas.

Question 36

The distribution of synergistic gains between the stockholders of two merged firms is almost always based strictly on their respective market values before the announcement of the merger.

Question 37

Discounted cash flow methods are not appropriate for evaluating mergers because the cash flows are uncertain and the discount rate can only be determined after the merger is consummated.

Question 38

Which of the following statements about valuing a firm using the compressed adjusted present value (CAPV) approach is most CORRECT?

A) The value of equity is calculated by discounting the horizon value, the tax shields, and the free cash flows at the cost of equity.
B) The value of operations is calculated by discounting the horizon value, the tax shields, and the free cash flows before the horizon date at the unlevered cost of equity.
C) The value of equity is calculated by discounting the horizon value and the free cash flows at the cost of equity.
D) The CAPV approach stands for the accounting pre-valuation approach.
E) The value of operations is calculated by discounting the horizon value, the tax shields, and the free cash flows at the cost of equity.

Question 39

Currently (2018), mergers can be accounted for using either the purchase method or the pooling method.

Question 40

Juicers Inc.is thinking of acquiring Fast Fruit Company.Juicers has determined that Fast Fruit's current cost of equity is 17.5%; Fast Fruit currently has no debt outstanding.In Year 1, Juicers expects Fast Fruit to generate $9 million in NOPAT and invest $50 million in total net operating capital.Fast Fruit will borrow to finance this expansion, with the first interest payment ($5 million) due at Year 2.(There will be no interest due at Year 1.) In Year 2, Fast Fruit will generate $25 million in NOPAT and invest $10 million in total net operating capital.Fast Fruit's marginal tax rate is 25%.After the second year, the free cash flows and the tax shields each will grow at a constant rate of 4%.Assume that all cash flows occur at the end of the year.If Juicers must pay $90 million to acquire Fast Fruit, what is the NPV of the proposed acquisition? (Report your answer in millions of dollars.)

A) $16.75 million
B) $17.63 million
C) $18.56 million
D) $19.53 million
E) $20.56 million

Question 41

The three main advantages of holding companies are (1) control with fractional ownership, (2) taxation benefits, and (3) isolation of operating risks.

Question 42

The two principal advantages of holding companies are (1) the holding company can control a great deal of assets with limited equity and (2) the dividends received by the parent from the subsidiary are not taxed if the parent holds at least 50% of the subsidiary's stock.