What is NPV?
Net present value = the difference between an investment’s market value and it’s cost.
⇒ Is the investment worth undertaking? The gain higher than the cost?
What is DCF valuation?
Discounted cash flow valuation = the process of valuing an investment by discounting its future cash flow.
What is the payback rule?
A method used to assess potential investments from the amount of time it takes for an investment to generate cash flows sufficient to recover its initial cost.
What is the shortcomings of the payback rule compared to NPV?
What is the idea of the discounted payback rule?
First, compute the PV of each cash flow and then determine how long it takes to pay back on a discounted basis.
What is the main reason why the discounted payback rule most often is not used?
If you have to discount the cash flows anyway, the discounted payback rule is no longer faster than NPV, wherefore NPV is used as the best choice.
What are the shortcomings of the discounted payback rule?
What is the AAR and how do you calculate it?
Average Accounting Return
Definition used in the book (definitions differ from book to book):
Average net income / Average book value
(average book value is inevitably affected by the choice of depreciation method)
Just as correct answer, you DO NOT CALCULATE it. Too many serious problems for AAR to be used.
What are the shortcomings/drawbacks of the AAR rule?
DO NOT USE.
What is the IRR?
The internal rate of return.
The discount rate that makes the NPV = 0.
In other words, the IRR on an investment is the required return that results in a zero NPV when it is used as the discount rate.
How do you calculate the IRR?
By trial and error, using a financial calculator or using Excel’s IRR function.
You try to figure out what return rate you should discount at for the NPV to be zero.
What should you be aware of regarding IRR results?
You are solving for the root of an equation. The equation can lead to two roots (crossing the x-axis more than once) and will thus give multiple IRRs.
⇒ Use NPV
In which cases is the decision using NPV and IRR the same and different?
Always the same UNLESS
For what reason is the IRR rule often preferred to the NPV rule?
IRR focuses on rates of return whereas NPV gives dollar values.
Rates of return are often easier to use for calculations.
What are the MIRR approaches?
Modified internal rate of return
What is the profitability index?
The present value of an investment’s future cash flows divided by its initial cost.
PV of cash flows / Initial cost
PV cash inflows / PV cash outflows
Benefit-cost ratio.
(problematic with mutually exclusive investments)
What does a PI index of 1.23 imply?
That for every $1 invested, we create an additional 23 cents in value.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Profitability Index?
What are the differences between debt and equity?
What is incremental cash flows?
The difference between a firm’s future cash flows with a project and those without a project ⇒ Also means cash flows that are independent of the decision of the specific project are irrelevant.
“any and all” changes in the firm’s future cash flows as a direct consequence of taking the project.
Fx. keeping old machine vs. buying new
What is the stand-alone principle?
You evaluate a project based on its incremental cash flows ⇒ Completely independent from everything else.
You see the project as a “minifirm” and look at its cash outflow and inflow.
What are classic pitfalls when evaluating projects and their incremental cash flows?
What is erosion?
The cash flows of a new project that come at the expense of a firm’s existing projects.
What are pro forma financial statements?
Financial statements projecting future years’ operations