DCF Fair Value Valuation, Excessive Assetes and Hidden Inefficiencies

Fair value concept is widely used in DCF (Discounted Cash Flow)  business valuation. One of the main principle of fair value concept is full information symmetry between contracting parties. The assumption enforces specific way of FCF (Free Cash Flow) estimation: all areas of inefficiency of valuated companies should be identified and their effect on free cash flow should be eliminated. The projection of free cash flow thus prepared should reflect the optimum operations of the business. The methodological issues of fair value valuation of inefficient companies are not comprehensibly addressed in the financial and accounting literature. There is easily observable gap between fair value theory and valuation practices. Thus this article is an attempt to answer the question about practical issues in fair value valuation of companies which do not apply value based management rules. It is based on literature review, theory examination and short case studies which present proposed solution for practical problems. Methods of identification and assessment of impact of inefficiencies on the fair value of a business are hereinafter presented and supported with arguments

Increasing Shareholders Value through NPV-Negative Projects

The concept of Net Present Value (NPV) is a widely accepted tool for verification of financial rationality of planned investment projects. Projects with positive NPV increase a company's value. Similarly, those with negative NPV lead to a decline in the value of a business. This article attempts to answer the question: are projects with negative NPV always disadvantageous in terms of maximization of shareholder value and when should an NPV-negative project be considered justified? The authors discuss the issues of project valuation depending on different conditions. First, they briefly summarize the main idea of valuation - the aim of every company is to maximize shareholder value. Contemporary professional texts say that the way to achieve this goal is through projects that can generate a positive Net Present Value. When there are no such investments within reach, the company should pay dividends to its owners. The authors claim that some circumstances justify investments with a negative Net Present Value, as they still produce maximum possible shareholder value. The three model situations where this takes place are: (1) tax on dividends; (2) shareholders' perception of risk; and (3) temporary inefficiency of the markets. Taxes on dividends reduce cashflows for shareholders from distributed dividends. Therefore, they act exactly as an investment with a negative NPV. The authors conclude that this creates an opportunity to maximize shareholder value by comparing this loss with available alternate projects with negative NPV. If the loss of worth, caused by such taxes, is bigger that the negative NPV of possible investments it will be more rational to invest instead of paying dividends. And, according to the authors, a project with a negative NPV leads to maximized shareholder value. In the second situation, the authors point out that some projects may have negative fundamental (intrinsic) value when valuated by the market (diversified owners) because of their higher expected rate of return. In the same circumstances, an undiversified shareholder may have a different perception of the investment. It is highly possible that he would be ready to accept a lower rate of return in exchange for more safety for his capital. The authors conclude that negative fundamental value (based on the market situation) may be of importance for such shareholder as he prefers projects with lower risk and a lower rate of return. Temporary inefficiencies of the markets may produce a risk of bankruptcy or liquidity problems. The authors argue that NPV-negative projects may be a way to free additional cashflows, which will allow the financial restructuring of the company

The influence of capital expenditures on working capital management in the corporate sector of an emerging economy: the role of financing constraints

Relying on firm-level panel data from an emerging economy, this study explores the impact of fixed capital expenditure on working capital management practices. When facing insufficient internally generated cash flows and external funds for accommodating capital investments, companies are found to finance capital expenditure by primarily depleting cash reserves and increasing trade payables. Corroborating the postulates of the financing constraints theory, working capital investments are found to be inversely related to the degree of financing constraints, and positively sensitive to operating cash flow fluctuations and availability of external finance. For financially constrained companies, capital expenditures are found to more likely exercise a negative impact on working capital investments. Contributing to the discussion on the nature of business cycles, we document that the negative cash flow shocks are likely to be transmitted to firms’ counterparties through the trade credit channel rather than through the reduction of investment demand. The empirical findings also suggest that financial managers fail to properly account for capital expenditures in short-term liquidity planning, which, under conditions of limited access to imperfect capital markets, may induce the recurrence of costly working capital adjustments

Application of Binomial Model and Market Asset Declaimer Methodology for Valuation of Abandon and Expand Options. The Case Study

The article presents a case study of valuation of real options included in a investment project. The main goal of the article is to present the calculation and methodological issues of application the methodology for real option valuation. In order to do it there are used the binomial model and Market Asset Declaimer methodology. The project presented in the article concerns the introduction of radio station to a new market. It includes two valuable real options: to abandon the project and to expand

Determinants of the liability maturity of Polish companies

Using the firm-level panel data for Polish companies, we analyze the determinants of liability maturity with particular attention paid to the factors of financing constraints and information asymmetry. Consistent with prior research, we find that asset tangibility, liquidity, leverage and profitability significantly influence liability maturity choices. Additionally, we evidence that financing constraints may alter the impact of these factors. Companies identified as being financially constrained appear to have lower maturity of liabilities. Firms quoted on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange are shown to hold a higher proportion of long-term liabilities compared to those quoted on New Connect, a stock exchange dedicated to young small cap companies. We also find that constrained status may determine firm’s financing decisions under crisis settings. Our empirical results show that companies experiencing financing constraints are likely to reduce liability maturity during a crisis, while their unconstrained counterparts may recur to additional long-term external financing in order to accommodate the repercussions of a trough. These findings contribute to the discussion of the financing constraints theory and shed light on some of the firms’ tactical financing decisions in an emerging econom