The WACC of Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc (SWM) is 7.2%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 7.90% - 12.20% | 10.05% |
| Tax rate | 17.30% - 18.30% | 17.80% |
| Cost of debt | 5.50% - 8.00% | 6.75% |
| WACC | 5.8% - 8.6% | 7.2% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.2% | 3.7% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| Adjusted beta | 1.11 | 1.53 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 7.90% | 12.20% |
| Tax rate | 17.30% | 18.30% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Cost of debt | 5.50% | 8.00% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Selected WACC | 7.2% | |
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 SWM:
cost_of_equity (10.05%) = risk_free_rate (3.45%) + equity_risk_premium (4.70%) * 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.