Cost of Capital MCQs

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman Shamil | Last updated: July 12, 2024

What does the cost of capital represent?

A) The return required by investors for providing capital to the company
B) The cost of purchasing new equipment
C) The cost of hiring new employees
D) The cost of marketing and advertising
Answer: A) The return required by investors for providing capital to the company

The formula for Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) is:

A) (Cost of Equity * Equity Ratio) + (Cost of Debt * (1 – Tax Rate) * Debt Ratio)
B) Cost of Debt + Cost of Equity
C) (Cost of Debt * Debt Ratio) + (Cost of Equity * Equity Ratio)
D) (Cost of Equity + Cost of Debt) / 2
Answer: A) (Cost of Equity * Equity Ratio) + (Cost of Debt * (1 – Tax Rate) * Debt Ratio)

Which of the following is used to calculate the cost of equity using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)?

A) Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Beta * (Market Return – Risk-Free Rate)
B) Cost of Equity = Dividend Yield + Growth Rate
C) Cost of Equity = Earnings per Share / Market Price per Share
D) Cost of Equity = Net Income / Total Equity
Answer: A) Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Beta * (Market Return – Risk-Free Rate)

The Cost of Debt is typically calculated as:

A) Total Interest Expense / Total Debt
B) Yield to Maturity on Existing Debt * (1 – Tax Rate)
C) Market Price of Debt / Face Value of Debt
D) Total Debt / Total Assets
Answer: B) Yield to Maturity on Existing Debt * (1 – Tax Rate)

Which component is used to calculate the cost of preferred stock?

A) Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share
B) Earnings per Share / Book Value per Share
C) Net Income / Total Preferred Stock
D) Total Debt / Preferred Stock
Answer: A) Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share

What is the purpose of calculating the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)?

A) To determine the average rate of return a company must earn to satisfy all its capital providers
B) To estimate the total capital expenditure of the company
C) To measure the profitability of the company
D) To calculate the company’s annual revenue
Answer: A) To determine the average rate of return a company must earn to satisfy all its capital providers

In the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), what does Beta measure?

A) The risk-free rate
B) The market risk of a security relative to the market as a whole
C) The company’s dividend yield
D) The company’s growth rate
Answer: B) The market risk of a security relative to the market as a whole

The formula for the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) to calculate the cost of equity is:

A) Cost of Equity = (Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share) + Growth Rate
B) Cost of Equity = Market Price per Share / Dividend per Share
C) Cost of Equity = Earnings per Share / Market Price per Share
D) Cost of Equity = Net Income / Total Equity
Answer: A) Cost of Equity = (Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share) + Growth Rate

Which of the following affects the cost of capital for a company?

A) Company’s dividend policy
B) Company’s capital structure
C) Company’s risk profile
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

What does the term ‘cost of equity’ refer to?

A) The return required by shareholders for investing in the company
B) The cost of borrowing funds
C) The cost of acquiring new assets
D) The interest rate on bonds
Answer: A) The return required by shareholders for investing in the company

Which method is used to estimate the cost of debt for a company?

A) Yield to Maturity (YTM)
B) Dividend Growth Model
C) Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
D) Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio)
Answer: A) Yield to Maturity (YTM)

How does an increase in the company’s debt affect its cost of capital?

A) It generally increases the WACC due to higher financial risk.
B) It generally decreases the WACC due to the tax deductibility of interest.
C) It has no impact on the WACC.
D) It decreases the cost of equity and increases the cost of debt.
Answer: B) It generally decreases the WACC due to the tax deductibility of interest.

The cost of retained earnings is typically equal to:

A) The cost of equity
B) The cost of debt
C) The cost of new equity
D) The cost of preferred stock
Answer: A) The cost of equity

What does the term ‘risk-free rate’ represent in the CAPM formula?

A) The return on a risk-free investment, such as government bonds
B) The average return of the market
C) The company’s internal rate of return
D) The cost of issuing new equity
Answer: A) The return on a risk-free investment, such as government bonds

In the calculation of WACC, the cost of equity is typically weighted by:

A) The proportion of equity in the company’s capital structure
B) The total debt of the company
C) The total assets of the company
D) The market capitalization of the company
Answer: A) The proportion of equity in the company’s capital structure

Which of the following components is NOT included in the calculation of WACC?

A) Cost of Debt
B) Cost of Equity
C) Cost of Preferred Stock
D) Cost of Inventory
Answer: D) Cost of Inventory

The formula for the Cost of Preferred Stock is:

A) Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share
B) Dividend per Share / Book Value per Share
C) Net Income / Total Preferred Stock
D) Market Price per Share / Dividend per Share
Answer: A) Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share

Which of the following can increase the cost of equity?

A) Increase in the risk-free rate
B) Decrease in beta
C) Increase in the growth rate
D) Decrease in the market risk premium
Answer: A) Increase in the risk-free rate

The cost of debt is lower than the cost of equity because:

A) Debt has a lower risk compared to equity.
B) Debt payments are tax-deductible.
C) Equity investors require a higher return due to higher risk.
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

What is the impact of a lower tax rate on the cost of debt?

A) The cost of debt increases.
B) The cost of debt remains unchanged.
C) The cost of debt decreases.
D) The cost of debt is not affected by tax rates.
Answer: C) The cost of debt decreases.

Which financial metric is used to assess the cost of a company’s new equity?

A) Cost of New Equity
B) Cost of Retained Earnings
C) Cost of Preferred Stock
D) Yield to Maturity
Answer: A) Cost of New Equity

Which of the following is NOT a factor in the calculation of the cost of capital?

A) Company’s risk profile
B) Market conditions
C) Interest rates on debt
D) Depreciation expense
Answer: D) Depreciation expense

The formula for calculating the cost of equity using the Dividend Growth Model (DDM) is:

A) Cost of Equity = (Dividend per Share / Current Share Price) + Growth Rate
B) Cost of Equity = (Dividend per Share / Future Share Price) + Growth Rate
C) Cost of Equity = Earnings per Share / Current Share Price
D) Cost of Equity = Net Income / Total Equity
Answer: A) Cost of Equity = (Dividend per Share / Current Share Price) + Growth Rate

Which of the following is true about the cost of capital for a project?

A) It is the minimum return required to justify the investment.
B) It is always higher than the company’s WACC.
C) It is irrelevant to the decision-making process.
D) It is calculated based on the company’s historical performance.
Answer: A) It is the minimum return required to justify the investment.

The cost of equity increases with:

A) Higher beta
B) Lower market risk premium
C) Lower risk-free rate
D) Lower growth rate
Answer: A) Higher beta

Which of the following is true about the cost of retained earnings?

A) It is equal to the cost of equity.
B) It is always lower than the cost of new equity.
C) It includes flotation costs.
D) It is irrelevant to the company’s financial structure.
Answer: A) It is equal to the cost of equity.

In the WACC formula, what does the term (1 – Tax Rate) account for?

A) The tax shield provided by interest expenses
B) The growth rate of the company
C) The market risk premium
D) The cost of equity
Answer: A) The tax shield provided by interest expenses

The cost of debt is considered lower than the cost of equity primarily because:

A) Debt carries less risk than equity.
B) Interest payments on debt are tax-deductible.
C) Equity holders require higher returns due to higher risk.
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above

Which of the following best describes the cost of capital for a new project?

A) It should be based on the WACC.
B) It should be based on the cost of existing projects.
C) It should be lower than the cost of existing projects.
D) It should be irrelevant to the decision-making process.
Answer: A) It should be based on the WACC.

What does the ‘market risk premium’ represent in the CAPM formula?

A) The additional return expected from investing in the market over the risk-free rate
B) The average return on government bonds
C) The difference between the cost of debt and the cost of equity
D) The growth rate of dividends
Answer: A) The additional return expected from investing in the market over the risk-free rate

The cost of equity calculated using the Dividend Discount Model (DDM) assumes:

A) Dividends will grow at a constant rate.
B) Dividends will remain constant.
C) The company will not pay any dividends.
D) The dividend growth rate will be variable.
Answer: A) Dividends will grow at a constant rate.

What is the primary advantage of using WACC for capital budgeting decisions?

A) It provides a weighted average of the cost of all sources of capital.
B) It simplifies the calculation of project returns.
C) It excludes the cost of debt.
D) It includes only equity costs.
Answer: A) It provides a weighted average of the cost of all sources of capital.

What does a decrease in the risk-free rate generally do to the cost of equity?

A) Decreases the cost of equity
B) Increases the cost of equity
C) Has no effect on the cost of equity
D) Increases the cost of debt
Answer: A) Decreases the cost of equity

The formula for calculating the cost of equity using the CAPM model is:

A) Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Beta * (Market Return – Risk-Free Rate)
B) Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Market Return
C) Cost of Equity = Dividend Yield + Growth Rate
D) Cost of Equity = Earnings per Share / Market Price per Share
Answer: A) Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Beta * (Market Return – Risk-Free Rate)

Which of the following is NOT a component of WACC?

A) Cost of Debt
B) Cost of Equity
C) Cost of Preferred Stock
D) Cost of Goods Sold
Answer: D) Cost of Goods Sold

What is the main difference between the cost of new equity and the cost of retained earnings?

A) The cost of new equity includes flotation costs, while the cost of retained earnings does not.
B) The cost of retained earnings is generally higher than the cost of new equity.
C) The cost of new equity is lower than the cost of retained earnings.
D) There is no difference between the two costs.
Answer: A) The cost of new equity includes flotation costs, while the cost of retained earnings does not.

Which factor does NOT affect the cost of equity?

A) Market Risk Premium
B) Beta
C) Dividend Growth Rate
D) Company’s Tax Rate
Answer: D) Company’s Tax Rate

The cost of capital is used to evaluate:

A) The profitability of investment projects.
B) The company’s dividend policy.
C) The company’s inventory management.
D) The company’s marketing strategy.
Answer: A) The profitability of investment projects.

The term ‘cost of capital’ generally includes:

A) Only the cost of equity.
B) Only the cost of debt.
C) The cost of equity, debt, and preferred stock.
D) The cost of fixed assets.
Answer: C) The cost of equity, debt, and preferred stock.

Which of the following is NOT typically included in the WACC calculation?

A) Cost of Equity
B) Cost of Debt
C) Cost of Preferred Stock
D) Cost of Raw Materials
Answer: D) Cost of Raw Materials

The cost of equity typically reflects:

A) The return required by equity investors.
B) The company’s annual sales growth rate.
C) The company’s cost of new equipment.
D) The return on fixed-income securities.
Answer: A) The return required by equity investors.

The cost of capital used in project evaluation should be:

A) Based on the company’s WACC.
B) Set to match the project’s historical cost.
C) The same as the company’s net income.
D) Determined by the project’s specific risk level.
Answer: A) Based on the company’s WACC.

The Cost of Debt is adjusted for taxes in WACC calculation because:

A) Interest expenses are tax-deductible.
B) Debt is riskier than equity.
C) Equity is more expensive than debt.
D) Taxes do not affect the cost of debt.
Answer: A) Interest expenses are tax-deductible.

What effect does increasing debt in the capital structure generally have on the cost of equity?

A) Increases the cost of equity due to higher financial risk.
B) Decreases the cost of equity due to lower financial risk.
C) Has no effect on the cost of equity.
D) Decreases the cost of equity due to increased financial stability.
Answer: A) Increases the cost of equity due to higher financial risk.

The cost of equity is often higher than the cost of debt because:

A) Equity investors take on more risk than debt holders.
B) Debt holders require higher returns than equity investors.
C) Equity is tax-deductible.
D) Debt is less risky than equity.
Answer: A) Equity investors take on more risk than debt holders.

The Cost of Retained Earnings is typically:

A) Higher than the cost of new equity.
B) Lower than the cost of new equity.
C) Equal to the cost of debt.
D) The same as the cost of preferred stock.
Answer: B) Lower than the cost of new equity.

What does a decrease in the company’s beta generally do to the cost of equity?

A) Decreases the cost of equity.
B) Increases the cost of equity.
C) Has no effect on the cost of equity.
D) Makes the cost of debt higher.
Answer: A) Decreases the cost of equity.

Which of the following best describes the cost of new equity?

A) It includes flotation costs and is higher than the cost of retained earnings.
B) It excludes flotation costs and is lower than the cost of retained earnings.
C) It is the same as the cost of retained earnings.
D) It is the same as the cost of debt.
Answer: A) It includes flotation costs and is higher than the cost of retained earnings.

What does the term ‘cost of capital’ typically exclude?

A) Costs related to financing
B) Costs related to capital budgeting
C) Costs associated with day-to-day operations
D) Costs of issuing new securities
Answer: C) Costs associated with day-to-day operations

Which of the following statements is true regarding the impact of a company’s risk profile on its cost of capital?

A) Higher risk increases the cost of equity and may increase the cost of debt.
B) Lower risk increases the cost of equity and decreases the cost of debt.
C) Higher risk decreases both the cost of equity and the cost of debt.
D) Lower risk increases both the cost of equity and the cost of debt.
Answer: A) Higher risk increases the cost of equity and may increase the cost of debt.