1) Explain the rationale for using Beta in Economic Analysis.
2) Using the Key Value Drivers equation and the lessons it provides, explain the rationale for increasing the dividend.
3) Assuming a company has the following expected data below, what multiple of NOPLAT should the company be priced?
EBIT 200
Effective Tax Rate 40%
growth 3%
ROIC 12%
Cost of Capital (WACC) 8%
4) What is the difference between a buy side and a sell side analyst?
5) Based on the article from CNBC below and using the key frameworks from the class we have been using this semester, explain why this new information for Target caused the stock price to increase by $0.41.
Target to cut jobs as part of $2B cost-savings plan
Target's chief executive, Brian Cornell, said Tuesday the retailer will cut several thousand jobs within the next two years as part of a $2 billion cost-savings plan.
The Minneapolis-based company also announced 2015 guidance of $4.45 to $4.65 adjusted earnings per share. Wall Street expected Target's guidance at $4.50 adjusted earnings per share.
Target (Links to an external site.) also expects digital sales to increase 40 percent and same-store sales between 1.5 and 2.5 percent, with modest improvement in gross margins and expense rates. It projects overall 2015 sales to grow between 2 and 3 percent.
The company's stock closed at $78, or up 0.41 percent.
For 2016, Target expects earnings per share to increase 10 percent and a 5 to 10 percent dividend growth rate.
Last week, the retailer reported earnings of $1.50 per share on revenue of $21.75 billion, beating Wall Street's expectations of $1.46 per share on $21.63 billion in revenue. The company's total U.S. sales also grew by 1.9 percent in 2014.
Target also increased its 2015 first-quarter guidance to 95 cents to $1.05 adjusted earnings per share, up from 92 cents per share the same time last year.
"We're seeing early momentum in our efforts to transform Target, and our team is entering the new fiscal year with a singular focus on continuing to differentiate our merchandise assortment and shopping experience while controlling costs by reducing complexity and simplifying the way we work," Cornell said in the company's latest earnings report.
Target has also reportedly zeroed in on seven grocery categories, including yogurt and beer, to attract younger shoppers. In other words, it will be less reliant on products from General Mills (Links to an external site.), Kraft Foods (Links to an external site.) and Campbell Soup (Links to an external site.), Reuters said in a report (Links to an external site.) last week that cited The Wall Street Journal.