Market value ratios

Ratios are mostly calculated based on the financial statements of a firm. However, another group of ratios, called market-based ratios, relate to a firm’s observable market value, stock prices, and book values, integrating information from both the market and the firm’s financial statements.

Consider the case of Taggart Goods Corp.:

Taggart Goods Corp. just reported a net income of $5,000,000, and its current stock price is $23.00 per share. Taggart is forecasting an increase of 25% for its net income next year, but it also expects it will have to issue 1,700,000 new shares of stock (raising its shares outstanding from 5,500,000 shares to 7,200,000 shares).

If Taggart’s forecast turns out to be correct and its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio does not change, what does management expect its stock price to be one year from now? (Hint: If you choose to compute the firm’s price/earnings ratio, round its value to four decimal places.)

(a)$21.99 per share

(b)$23.00 per share

(c)$16.49 per share

(d)$27.49 per share

One year later, Taggart Goods Corp.’s stock is trading at $43.75, and the company reports its common equity value as $31,665,600. What is Taggart Goods Corp.’s market-to-book(M/B) ratio? (1.05x or 9.94x or 14.91x 0r 23.87x)...........................

Is it possible for a company to have a negative EPS and thus a negative P/E ratio? (yes or no)...............

Which of the following statements is true about market value ratios?

(a) Companies with high research and development (R&D) expenses tend to have low P/E ratios.

(b) Companies with high research and development (R&D) expenses tend to have high P/E ratios