Role of debt-to-equity ratio in project investment valuation, assessing risk and return in capital markets

In this paper, a case study was performed with an aim to analyze the asset returns for two different companies and the risk and returns from capital projects using standard capital asset pricing method. To demonstrate how the present values of future cash flows are influenced by discount rates when the debt-to-equity capital structure ratio is varied between 0 and 2.5 debt-to-equity. The breakeven sensitivity was also conducted in relation to different gross margin ratios of company. It was found that high value of debt-to-equity ratio yielded a flatter net present value with increase in gross margins. Capital appraisal techniques were applied to illustrate the project returns and annual cash flows and its relationship with change in cost of capital. Analysis showed that when average cost of capital is increased beyond threshold value, the net present value from the firm's project investments reduced significantly. A covariance analysis was performed to determine individual returns from two stocks traded in BSE Sensex and S&P 500 indices using the beta values. Comparing the individual and total returns of two stocks revealed that returns not only increased with increasing beta values - but also varied with earnings potential, growth rate of firm, dividend payout ratios and trading stock price. The standard deviation on portfolio of two stocks has been computed for varying asset weight ratios. It has been found that positive correlation between two stocks increased equity risk when weight ratios are not balanced in portfolio, while a negative correlation reduced equity risk.