The WACC of ViaSat Inc (VSAT) is 12.4%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 15.20% - 21.80% | 18.50% |
| Tax rate | 13.30% - 19.20% | 16.25% |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% - 23.90% | 13.95% |
| WACC | 5.1% - 19.6% | 12.4% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 2.45 | 3.02 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 15.20% | 21.80% |
| Tax rate | 13.30% | 19.20% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 6.08 | 6.08 |
| Cost of debt | 4.00% | 23.90% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.1% | 19.6% |
| Selected WACC | 12.4% | |
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 ViaSat:
cost_of_equity (18.50%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (2.45) + 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.