The WACC of American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc (AXL) is 7.5%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 13.60% - 18.30% | 15.95% |
| Tax rate | 25.50% - 40.00% | 32.75% |
| Cost of debt | 5.80% - 12.40% | 9.10% |
| WACC | 5.8% - 9.2% | 7.5% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 2.12 | 2.4 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 13.60% | 18.30% |
| Tax rate | 25.50% | 40.00% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 5.22 | 5.22 |
| Cost of debt | 5.80% | 12.40% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.8% | 9.2% |
| Selected WACC | 7.5% | |
The Cost of Equity reflects the return a company needs to deliver to shareholders to justify the risk of investing in its shares. It’s computed using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which blends the risk-free rate, the stock’s beta, and the market risk premium.
This method evaluates the stock’s risk compared to a safe investment and the market’s overall volatility.
Here’s how we figure out the cost of equity for AXL:
cost_of_equity (15.95%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (2.12) + risk_adjustments (0.25%)
We include the risk adjustments, which range from 0% to 1%, to keep our WACC conservatives, especially for companies traded in developing markets.