Why Might Shareholders of an Acquiring Firm Prefer to Finance

question 16

Multiple Choice

Why might shareholders of an acquiring firm prefer to finance mergers with stock rather than with cash?

• A) Stock financing is always less costly due to tax consequences.
• B) The EPS decreases when mergers are financed with cash.
• C) Target-firm shareholders will bear part of the cost if merger benefits were overestimated.
• D) All merger gains go to the acquirer when financed with stock.

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Definitions:

Earnings Before Taxes (EBT)

A measure of a company's profitability that calculates income before the deduction of tax expenses.

Free Cash Flow

The sum of money a business produces once it subtracts the cash spent to sustain its operations and upkeep of its capital assets.

Operating Costs

Expenses associated with running a business's core operations on a daily basis, excluding the cost of goods sold.

Net Operating Working Capital

Net operating working capital is a financial measure that represents the difference between operating current assets and operating current liabilities.