The WACC of Mercer International Inc (MERC) is 11.0%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 15.40% - 24.60% | 20.00% |
| Tax rate | 21.20% - 30.80% | 26.00% |
| Cost of debt | 6.00% - 20.90% | 13.45% |
| WACC | 6.2% - 15.8% | 11.0% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 2.5 | 3.52 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 15.40% | 24.60% |
| Tax rate | 21.20% | 30.80% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 6.2 | 6.2 |
| Cost of debt | 6.00% | 20.90% |
| After-tax WACC | 6.2% | 15.8% |
| Selected WACC | 11.0% | |
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 MERC:
cost_of_equity (20.00%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (2.5) + 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.