The WACC of British and American Investment Trust PLC (BAF.L) is 7.5%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 6.70% - 9.50% | 8.10% |
| Tax rate | 1.30% - 1.70% | 1.50% |
| Cost of debt | 4.20% - 7.00% | 5.60% |
| WACC | 6.2% - 8.9% | 7.5% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 4.0% | 4.5% |
| Equity market risk premium | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Adjusted beta | 0.45 | 0.64 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 6.70% | 9.50% |
| Tax rate | 1.30% | 1.70% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 0.26 | 0.26 |
| Cost of debt | 4.20% | 7.00% |
| After-tax WACC | 6.2% | 8.9% |
| 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 BAF.L:
cost_of_equity (8.10%) = risk_free_rate (4.25%) + equity_risk_premium (6.50%) * adjusted_beta (0.45) + 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.