Hard1 markMultiple Choice
Area I: Business AnalysisBARArea ISolvency Ratios

CPA · Question 02 · Area I: Business Analysis

A company has a Debt-to-Equity ratio of 1.5 and a Times Interest Earned (TIE) ratio of 4.0. The company plans to issue $2 million in new debt at a 10% interest rate to repurchase $2 million of equity. The current Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) is $5 million and is expected to remain constant. The current interest expense is $1.25 million. Ignoring taxes, what will be the impact on the company's solvency ratios?

Answer options:

A.

The Debt-to-Equity ratio will increase, and the Times Interest Earned ratio will decrease to approximately 3.45.

B.

The Debt-to-Equity ratio will decrease, and the Times Interest Earned ratio will increase.

C.

The Debt-to-Equity ratio will increase, and the Times Interest Earned ratio will decrease to 2.5.

D.

The Debt-to-Equity ratio will remain unchanged, but the Times Interest Earned ratio will decrease.

How to approach this question

Calculate the new interest expense. Recalculate TIE = EBIT / Interest Expense. Determine the directional change of D/E (Numerator up, Denominator down).

Full Answer

A.The Debt-to-Equity ratio will increase, and the Times Interest Earned ratio will decrease to approximately 3.45.✓ Correct
A
Current Interest = $1.25M. New Interest = $1.25M + ($2M * 0.10) = $1.45M.<br/>New TIE = EBIT / New Interest = $5M / $1.45M = 3.45.<br/>Since Debt increases and Equity decreases (repurchase), the Debt-to-Equity ratio must increase.

Common mistakes

Forgetting to add the new interest to the existing interest expense; assuming EBIT changes.

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