Fujita, Inc., has no debt outstanding and a total market
value of $222,000. Earnings before interest and taxes, BIT, are projected to be
$18,000 if economic conditions are normal. If there is strong expansion in the econ- BASIC
omy, then EBIT will be 25 percent higher. If there is a recession, then EBIT will be
SoN CO
Hill
(Questions
30 percent lower. The company is considering a $60,000 debt issue with an interest
rate of 7 percent. The proceeds will be used to repurchase shares of stock. There are
currently 7,400 shares outstanding. Ignore taxes for this problem.
a. Calculate earnings per share (EPS) under each of the three economic scenarios
before any debt is issued. Also calculate the percentage changes in EPS when the
economy expands or enters a recession.
b. Repeat part (a) assuming that the company goes through with recapitalization.
What do you observe?