The WACC of National Express Group PLC (NEX.L) is 7.4%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 11.50% - 20.70% | 16.10% |
| Tax rate | 7.60% - 11.90% | 9.75% |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% - 5.60% | 4.80% |
| WACC | 5.8% - 9.1% | 7.4% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 4.4% | 4.9% |
| Equity market risk premium | 6.4% | 7.4% |
| Adjusted beta | 1.11 | 2.05 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 11.50% | 20.70% |
| Tax rate | 7.60% | 11.90% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 2.76 | 2.76 |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% | 5.60% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.8% | 9.1% |
| Selected WACC | 7.4% | |
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 NEX.L:
cost_of_equity (16.10%) = risk_free_rate (4.65%) + equity_risk_premium (6.90%) * adjusted_beta (1.11) + 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.