Frasier Cabinets wants to maintain a growth rate of 5 percent without incurring any additional equity financing. The firm maintains a constant debt-equity ratio of .0.55, a total asset turnover ratio of 1.30, and a profit margin of 9.0 percent. What must the dividend payout ratio be? HINT: Determine if the target growth rate is IGR/SGR. Next, use the formula to determine how much money (%) the firm can afford to payout to stockholders. You will also want to review the DuPont identity.

A. 26.26 percent
B. 38.87 percent
C. 49.29 percent
D. 61.13 percent
E. 73.74 percent

Payout ratio shows how much portion of the net earning the company pay to its shareholders in form of cash dividend. Higher pay out ratio implies that company pay large portion of its earning to shareholder.

Mathematically, pay out ratio is = 1 - Retention Ratio ------ (a)

Retention ration shows portion of the earning that the company has retained for future investment or operation or growth.

Given data

Growth rate = 5 % or 0.05

Debt to equity ratio = 0.55

Assets turn over = 1.30

Profit Margin = 9 % or 0.09

Retention ration can be calculated from sustainable growth ratio formula.

Sustainable growth rate = Retention ratio x Return on equity

Sustainable growth rate means the growth rate that the company wants to maintain in future.

Retention ratio = Sustainable growth rate / Return on equity ---- (b)

Return on equity is not given the question but it can be calculated from Du Pont equation.

According to Du Pont equation,

Return on Equity = Profit Margin x Assets Turn Over x Financial leverage

Return on Equity = 0.09 x 1.30 x ( 1 + 0.55) = 0.18135

Let r be retention ratio, Then

Sustainable growth rate = (0.18135 x r)/ ( 1- (0.18135 x r))

0.05 = (0.18135 x r)/ ( 1- (0.18135 x r))

r = 0.2626 = Retention ratio

Putting the value of retention ratio in equation (a)

Payout ratio = 1 - Retention ratio = 1 - 0.2626 = 0.7374 or 73.74 %.