The WACC of Forward Air Corp (FWRD) is 12.7%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 11.60% - 17.00% | 14.30% |
| Tax rate | 18.70% - 24.70% | 21.70% |
| Cost of debt | 7.70% - 23.90% | 15.80% |
| WACC | 7.6% - 17.7% | 12.7% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 1.69 | 2.18 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 11.60% | 17.00% |
| Tax rate | 18.70% | 24.70% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 3.01 | 3.01 |
| Cost of debt | 7.70% | 23.90% |
| After-tax WACC | 7.6% | 17.7% |
| Selected WACC | 12.7% | |
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 FWRD:
cost_of_equity (14.30%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (1.69) + 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.