The WACC of United Utilities Group PLC (UU.L) is 6.6%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 7.60% - 9.70% | 8.65% |
| Tax rate | 23.20% - 25.40% | 24.30% |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% - 9.20% | 6.60% |
| WACC | 5.1% - 8.1% | 6.6% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 4.0% | 4.5% |
| Equity market risk premium | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Adjusted beta | 0.6 | 0.67 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 7.60% | 9.70% |
| Tax rate | 23.20% | 25.40% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 1.28 | 1.28 |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% | 9.20% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.1% | 8.1% |
| Selected WACC | 6.6% | |
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 UU.L:
cost_of_equity (8.65%) = risk_free_rate (4.25%) + equity_risk_premium (6.50%) * adjusted_beta (0.6) + 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.