The Chrysler Takeover Attempt - Case Solution.

Swan-Davis, Inc. (SDI) manufactures equipment for sale to large contractors. The company was founded in 1976 by Tom Stone, the current chairman, and it went public in 1980 at $1 per share. The stock currently sells for $15, Stone owns 14 percent of the shares, and other officers and directors control another 13 percent. The industry is cyclical, and competition is strong, so profits are some-what unstable. Tables 1, 2, and 3 provide historical balance sheets, income statements, and ratios for the company for the period 1994–1996, Table 4 provides industry average data for 1994-1996, and Table 5 provides one security analyst’s forecasted data for the company based on assumptions

3. If you wanted to buy LinkedIn’s stock, would you be willing to pay more than the value you derived above?

The share price of $270,000 was significantly higher because the “fair value” as perceived by the dissenters, which accounted for the chance of an IPO. Taking into account the recently traded Kohler Co. share prices, the book value of a share, and the possibility of an IPO greatly inflated what the perceived value of each share should be. While Kohler believed their voting control and ownership structure would remain the same, the shareholders believed otherwise. Because shareholders assumed Kohler would go public, they argued for a higher valuation so as to receive the highest price, and thus profit, in the buyout.  So based on the highest MVE, we picked Masco as the comparable firm of choice. Using Masco’s MVE, $9838.8, and LTM EBIAT, $437.3, we solved for Masco’s P/E ratio, which was equal to 22.5. By multiplying the P/E ratio by Kohler’s LTM EBIAT (22.5 * $93.76), we projected a market value of $2,109,610,000.  To solve for estimated share price, we divided the projected market value by 7,587.89, the number of shares outstanding to obtain an estimated share price of $278,023.47. This estimate is near the $270,000 per share offer price.

HOW HAS MR. WILSON MET THE FINANCING NEEDS OF THE COMPANY DURING THE PERIOD 2003 THROUGH 2005? HAS THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH OF WILSON LUMBER IMPROVED OR DETERIORATED? EVALUATE WILSON LUMBER FINANCIAL HEALTH.

6.4. The multiples give a valuation range of $91.85 to $148.23. The EPS and Sales multiples are close to the industry average giving a range value very close to the offer price - $91.85-$95.09. The EPS and Book value are very much affected by the leverage structure and thus may be not a true representation.

5. Should the company seriously consider any other options besides doing a spin-off or issuing targeted stock?

In utilizing the fundamental data provided by the 2010 Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation article titled Valuing Wal-Mart - 2010, I have made the following conclusions regarding the value of Wal-Mart (WMT) stock as of February 2012.

18. Why did Ford, GM and Chrysler undergo a harsh downturn relative to other car makers?

Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment.  The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics:

Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the Ford company is the world’s fifth largest automaker in the world. Publicly traded and held on the New York Stock Exchange, Ford uses the symbol of “F” to identify itself. The purpose of this document is to investigate and determine if the Ford Motor Company is a good investment. I will further cover a financial analysis of Ford Motor Company, evaluate the businesses consolidated statements of income, balance sheet, statement of stockholders equity, and statement of cash flows, which this will confirm if my conclusion is correct.

1. Analyze the economic rationale of the Carborundum acquisition. Under what conditions an acquisition would be expected to add to shareholder value in general? Do any of these reasons apply to Carborundum acquisition?

This analysis will identify the current value of the company at a stand-alone value and explain why Nestle Food would want to buy this company and the synergies involved for their reasoning. We will also discuss who will benefit if Reynolds Metals were to sell to Nestle or were to create an IPO.

1) Do you believe that Porsche’s management is appropriately concerned with stockholder wealth? Does Porsche’s ownership structure work to the benefit or detriment of public shareholders?

Ford earned $1.90 per share ending 2010. The company showed a 5% return on sales. A comparison of General Motors Company will show Ford’s performance when comparing this percentage. High risks in business either equates to high profits or high losses. Ford’s company’s return on equity of 109% shows that their risks proved to be profitable in the automobile industry in 2010 (“,” 2012).

*This will make the intrinsic value of eBay about $59.5 million, should eBay decide to issue the 3.5 million shares. This $59.5 million will be very beneficial for eBay's future growth. (Exhibit 2)