Question 7 (Please write between 300-500 words, 15 marks)
Bedrock Company has $70 million in debt and $30 million in equity. The debt matures in one year
and has a 10% interest rate, so the company is promising to pay back $77 million to its debtholders
one year from now.
The company is considering two possible investments, each of which will require an upfront cost of
$100 million. Each investment will last for one year and the payoff from each investment depends on
the strength of the overall economy. There is a 50% chance that the economy will be weak and a 50%
chance it will be strong.
Here are the expected payoffs (all dollars are in millions) from the two investments:
Payoff in one year if
the economy is weak
Payoff in one year if
the economy is strong
Expected payoff
Investment L $90.00 $130,00 $110.00
Investment H 50.00 170.00 110.00
Note that the two projects have the same expected payoff, but Project H has higher risk. The
debtholders always get paid first and the stockholders receive any money that is available after the
debtholders have been paid. Assume that if the company doesn’t have enough funds to pay off its
debtholders one year from now, then Bedrock will declare bankruptcy. If bankruptcy is declared, the
debtholders will receive all available funds and the stockholders will receive nothing.
a) Assume that the company selects Investment L. What is the expected payoff to the firm’s
debtholders? What is the expected payoff to the firm’s stockholders?
b) Assume that the company selects Investment H. What is the expected payoff to the firm’s
debtholders? What is the expected payoff to the firm’s stockholders?
c) Would the debtholders prefer that the company’s managers select Project L or Project H?
Briefly explain your reason.
d) Explain why the company’s managers acting on behalf of the stockholders might select
Project H even though it has greater risk.
e) What actions can debtholders take to protect their interests?