The WACC is just the rate at which the Free Cash Flows must be discounted to obtain the same result as in the valuation using Equity Cash Flows discounted at the required return to equity (Ke) The WACC is neither a cost nor a required return: it is a weighted average of a cost and a required...

This paper addresses 10 corporate finance topics that are not well treated (or not treated at all) in many Corporate Finance Books. The topics are: 1. Where does the WACC equation come from? 2. The WACC is not a cost. 3. What is the WACC equation when the value of the debt is not equal to its...

During 2004, 64% of the companies in the S&P 500 created value, while in 2003 the figure was 87%. The market value of the 500 companies was $11.2 trillion in 2004, compared to $10.1 trillion in 2003. The top shareholder value creators in 2004 were Exxon, General Electric, Ebay, Johnson & Johnson...

We prove that in a world without leverage cost the relationship between the levered beta ( L) and the unlevered beta ( u) is the No-costs-of-leverage formula: L = u + ( u - d) D (1 - T) / E. We also analyze 6 alternative valuation theories proposed in the literature to estimate the relationship...

2004 was a good year for the shareholders of the companies in the Euro Stoxx 50: the shareholder value creation of these 50 companies was €42,880 million. It was not as good as 2003, however, when their value creation reached slightly over €160,000 million. The companies that created most...

2002 was a bad year: the shareholder value destruction of the companies in the S&P 500 was $3.3 trillion. In 2002 only 16% of the companies created value (80 companies created value and 420 companies destroyed value). The percentage of value creators was 35%, 54%, 47% and 53% for 2001, 2000,...

In this paper, we quantify shareholder value creation for 276 American companies. We provide the created shareholder value for each and every company for years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The market value of the 276 companies was 8,716 billion dollars in 2001 and 9,729 billion dollars in 2000. We...

2005 was a very good year for the shareholders of the companies in the Euro Stoxx 50. The shareholder value creation of these 50 companies was €292.9 billion. The companies that created most value for their shareholders were Total (€30 billion), Sanofi-Synthelabo (€23.2 billion) and Eni...

The most used methods for valuing companies by Cash Flow Discounting are equity cash flow, free cash flow, capital cash flow and APV (Adjusted Present Value). Only APV does not require iteration All four methods, if properly applied, always give the same value. This result is logical, as all the...

The document starts with 100 questions that students, alumni and other persons (judges, arbitrageurs, clients…) have posed to me over the past years. They were recompiled so as to help the reader remember, clarify and, in some cases, discuss some useful concepts in finance. Most of the...