1
Case 3 – Cost of Capital
[Chapter 12]
The Cost of Capital for Master Tools
You have recently been hired by Master Tools (MT) in its relatively new treasury management
department. MT was founded eight years ago by Martha Masters. Martha found a method to streamline
the manufacturing process, resulting in a cheaper tool. The tools manufactured by MT are designed for
the mass market and sold primarily through retail. The company is privately owned by Martha and her
family, and it had sales of $97 million last year.
MT primarily sells to do-it-yourself (DIY) customers who use the tools for personal projects, although it
does sell through various online marketplaces. As a result, the company’s sales are price sensitive. When
the company had sufficient capital, it would expand production. Relatively little formal analysis has been
used in its capital budgeting process. Martha has just read about capital budgeting techniques and has
come to you for help. For starters, the company has never attempted to determine its cost of capital, and
Martha would like you to perform the analysis. Because the company is privately owned, it is difficult to
determine the cost of equity for the company.
Martha wants you to use the pure play approach to estimate the cost of capital for MT, and she has chosen
Snap-On Incorporated as a representative company. The following questions will lead you through the
steps to calculate this estimate.
Assignment Directions:
Write a case analysis of 1,000 – 1,500 words (4 to 5 pages), content (title page and reference page
not included) in proper APA format, covering the following requirements:
1. Most publicly traded corporations are required to submit 10-Q (quarterly) and 10-K (annual) reports
to the SEC detailing their financial operations over the previous quarter or year, respectively. These
corporate filings are available on the SEC website [webpage]. Go to the SEC website and enter
“SNA” for Snap-On in the “Search for Company Filings” link. Find the most recent 10-Q or 10-K
and download the form. Look on the balance sheet to find the book value of debt and the book value
of equity. If you look further down the report, you should find a section titled either “Long-Term
Debt” or “Long-Term Debt and Interest Rate Risk Management” that will list a breakdown of Snap-
On’s long-term debt. Discuss and analyze the items that you would find under long-term debt.
2. To estimate the cost of equity for Snap-On, go to finance.yahoo.com and enter the ticker symbol
SNA. Follow the various links to find answers to the following questions: What is the most recent
stock price listed for Snap-On? What is the market value of equity, or market capitalization? How
many shares of stock does Snap-On have outstanding? What is the beta for Snap-On? Now go back to
finance.yahoo.com and follow the “Bonds” link. What is the yield on three-month Treasury bills?
Using a 7 percent market risk premium, what is the cost of equity for Snap-On using the CAPM?
Discuss and analyze your answer.
, 2
3. Go to Reuters [webpage] and find the list of competitors in the industry. Find the beta for each of
these competitors, and then calculate the industry average beta. Using the industry average beta, what
is the cost of equity? Discuss and analyze whether you use the beta for Snap-On or the beta for the
industry in this case?
4. You now need to calculate the cost of debt for Snap-On. Go to FINRA [webpage], enter Snap-On as
the company, and find the yield to maturity for each of Snap-On’s bonds. What is the weighted
average cost of debt for Snap-On using the book value weights and the market value weights?
Discuss and analyze if it makes a difference in this case if you use book value weights or market
value weights?
5. You now have all the necessary information to calculate the weighted average cost of capital for
Snap-On. Calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On using book value weights and
market value weights, assuming Snap-On has a 21 percent tax rate. Discuss and analyze which cost of
capital number is more relevant and why?
6. You used Snap-On as a representative company to estimate the cost of capital for MT. What are some
of the potential problems with this approach in this situation? Discuss and analyze what
improvements you might suggest.
Submission Guidelines:
1. Prepare this Assignment according to the APA guidelines, including a title page, an introduction, and
a conclusion. An abstract required. Use in-text citations and include a References section.
2. In your report, make certain that you include at least eight (08) credible outside references from
search engines or scholarly academics and Journal sources.
Questions to Answer In This Deep Dive:
Discuss and analyze the items that you would find under long-term debt.
___________________________________________________________________
Estimate the cost of equity for Snap-On.
_________________________________________________________________________
Find the list of competitors in the industry.
______________________________________________________________________
Calculate the cost of debt for Snap-On.
______________________________________________________________________
Calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On.
_____________________________________________________________________
Case 3 – Cost of Capital
[Chapter 12]
The Cost of Capital for Master Tools
You have recently been hired by Master Tools (MT) in its relatively new treasury management
department. MT was founded eight years ago by Martha Masters. Martha found a method to streamline
the manufacturing process, resulting in a cheaper tool. The tools manufactured by MT are designed for
the mass market and sold primarily through retail. The company is privately owned by Martha and her
family, and it had sales of $97 million last year.
MT primarily sells to do-it-yourself (DIY) customers who use the tools for personal projects, although it
does sell through various online marketplaces. As a result, the company’s sales are price sensitive. When
the company had sufficient capital, it would expand production. Relatively little formal analysis has been
used in its capital budgeting process. Martha has just read about capital budgeting techniques and has
come to you for help. For starters, the company has never attempted to determine its cost of capital, and
Martha would like you to perform the analysis. Because the company is privately owned, it is difficult to
determine the cost of equity for the company.
Martha wants you to use the pure play approach to estimate the cost of capital for MT, and she has chosen
Snap-On Incorporated as a representative company. The following questions will lead you through the
steps to calculate this estimate.
Assignment Directions:
Write a case analysis of 1,000 – 1,500 words (4 to 5 pages), content (title page and reference page
not included) in proper APA format, covering the following requirements:
1. Most publicly traded corporations are required to submit 10-Q (quarterly) and 10-K (annual) reports
to the SEC detailing their financial operations over the previous quarter or year, respectively. These
corporate filings are available on the SEC website [webpage]. Go to the SEC website and enter
“SNA” for Snap-On in the “Search for Company Filings” link. Find the most recent 10-Q or 10-K
and download the form. Look on the balance sheet to find the book value of debt and the book value
of equity. If you look further down the report, you should find a section titled either “Long-Term
Debt” or “Long-Term Debt and Interest Rate Risk Management” that will list a breakdown of Snap-
On’s long-term debt. Discuss and analyze the items that you would find under long-term debt.
2. To estimate the cost of equity for Snap-On, go to finance.yahoo.com and enter the ticker symbol
SNA. Follow the various links to find answers to the following questions: What is the most recent
stock price listed for Snap-On? What is the market value of equity, or market capitalization? How
many shares of stock does Snap-On have outstanding? What is the beta for Snap-On? Now go back to
finance.yahoo.com and follow the “Bonds” link. What is the yield on three-month Treasury bills?
Using a 7 percent market risk premium, what is the cost of equity for Snap-On using the CAPM?
Discuss and analyze your answer.
, 2
3. Go to Reuters [webpage] and find the list of competitors in the industry. Find the beta for each of
these competitors, and then calculate the industry average beta. Using the industry average beta, what
is the cost of equity? Discuss and analyze whether you use the beta for Snap-On or the beta for the
industry in this case?
4. You now need to calculate the cost of debt for Snap-On. Go to FINRA [webpage], enter Snap-On as
the company, and find the yield to maturity for each of Snap-On’s bonds. What is the weighted
average cost of debt for Snap-On using the book value weights and the market value weights?
Discuss and analyze if it makes a difference in this case if you use book value weights or market
value weights?
5. You now have all the necessary information to calculate the weighted average cost of capital for
Snap-On. Calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On using book value weights and
market value weights, assuming Snap-On has a 21 percent tax rate. Discuss and analyze which cost of
capital number is more relevant and why?
6. You used Snap-On as a representative company to estimate the cost of capital for MT. What are some
of the potential problems with this approach in this situation? Discuss and analyze what
improvements you might suggest.
Submission Guidelines:
1. Prepare this Assignment according to the APA guidelines, including a title page, an introduction, and
a conclusion. An abstract required. Use in-text citations and include a References section.
2. In your report, make certain that you include at least eight (08) credible outside references from
search engines or scholarly academics and Journal sources.
Questions to Answer In This Deep Dive:
Discuss and analyze the items that you would find under long-term debt.
___________________________________________________________________
Estimate the cost of equity for Snap-On.
_________________________________________________________________________
Find the list of competitors in the industry.
______________________________________________________________________
Calculate the cost of debt for Snap-On.
______________________________________________________________________
Calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On.
_____________________________________________________________________
