The WACC of Northern Trust Corp (NTRS) is 5.6%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 12.10% - 18.00% | 15.05% |
| Tax rate | 24.10% - 24.40% | 24.25% |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% - 7.00% | 5.50% |
| WACC | 4.2% - 7.0% | 5.6% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 1.8 | 2.34 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 12.10% | 18.00% |
| Tax rate | 24.10% | 24.40% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 6.61 | 6.61 |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% | 7.00% |
| After-tax WACC | 4.2% | 7.0% |
| Selected WACC | 5.6% | |
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 NTRS:
cost_of_equity (15.05%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (1.8) + 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.