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Fpl Group

Decent Essays

1. Why do firms pay dividend? What, in general, are the advantages and disadvantages of paying cash dividends? Because often dividends are perceived as spendable income (some stock holders look at stocks as a source of income as it is easier to get a dividend instead of selling the stocks). Sometimes investment opportunities are low, they reach the limit of their marketplace, so companies decides to distribute cash in the form of dividends. For some companies it is a way of showing that the company is stable financially and can fulfill the commitment of paying out a dividend. Also it is a way for companies to mitigate agency problems when they have excess cash. Advantages of paying cash dividends: · Way of keeping …show more content…

Therefore from FPL’s perspective it seems that the current payout ratio is not appropriate. Utility Companies require a lot of capital, and returns on invested dollars are small. A higher payout ratio would not be appropriate, especially in a changing environment where competition is about to surface. A lower payout ratio would be more appropriate as it would give the company the necessary cash needed for capital investments that would generate growth without high leverage. 4. From an investor perspective, is FPL’s payout ratio appropriate? Investors often look at utility companies for their high dividend yields and growth over time. Although a high dividend is something sought by investors in utility companies, a high payout ratio can represent a negative signal. The high FPL’s payout ratio gives the company little room for error; if earnings would be adversely impacted in the future the company would be faced with the possibility of not being able to pay the dividend. E(r)= (Div+delta price)/price=Dividend Yield+ Cap. Gains. We assume beta is .6 (page 6). Rf=7.3%; rm-rf=7.5% E(r)=7.3+.6*(7.5)=11.8%. The majority of FPL’s return comes in the form of dividends. With deregulation and possibility of increased competition, high interest rates, investors should look at the cost efficiency of FPL and its diversification. The fact that the company pursued

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