Covent Gardens Inc. is considering two financial plans for the coming year. Management expects sales to be $300,000, operating costs to be $265,000, assets to be $200,000, and its tax rate to be 35%. Under Plan A it would use 25% debt and 75% common equity. The interest rate on the debt would be 8.8%, but under a contract with existing bondholders the Times Interest Earned (TIE) ratio would have to be maintained at or above 4.5. Under Plan B, the maximum debt that met the TIE constraint would be employed. Assuming that sales, operating costs, assets, the interest rate, and the tax rate would all remain constant, by how much would the ROE change in response to the change in the capital structure?

Assets = $200,000

For Plan A

25% debt  = 200,000 * 25% = 50,000

75% equity = 200,000 * 75% = 150,000

The debt will generate 8.8% interest expense. Interest expense = 50,000 * 8.8% = 4,400

Income for the expected project under Plan A

Sales revenue     300,00

Operating cost    265,000

EBIT                      35,000

Interest expense   4,400

EBT                       30,600

Income tax            10,710

Net income         $19,890

Times interest earned = EBIT /interest expense = 35,000 / 4,400 = 7.95. So, it achieve the requirement of 4.5 or above.

ROE for plan A = Net income / Equity = 19,890/150,000 = 0,1326 = 13.26%

Under Plan B

We will take as much debt as we can until Times interest earned = 4.5

EBIT / interest expense = Times interest earned

35,000/Interest expense = 4.5

Interest expense = 35,000/4.5

Interest expense = 7.777,78

Net income = (EBIT - interest) x (1- tax-rate)

Net income = (35,000 - 7,777.78) x (1-35%)

Net income = 17.694,443

Interest expense = Debt * Rate

Debt = Interest expense / Rate

Debt = 7,777.78/0.088

Debt = 88.383,86

Asset = Debt + Equity

200,000 = 88,383.86 + Equity

Equity = 200,000 - 88,383.86 =

Equity = 111,616.14

ROE for Plan B = Net income/ Equity = 17,694.443 / 111,616.14 = 0,15852943 = 15.85%

So, we compare both ROE

Plan A = 13.26%

Plan B = 15.85%

Difference = 2.59%

So therefore, using the Plan B will increase the ROE for 2.59%