medium · Principles of Finance cost-of-capital-structure

If an analyst uses the consolidated company's levered beta of 1.1 for a new division that has a pure-play unlevered beta of 1.5, what is the effect on the estimated WACC?

  1. The WACC stays accurate as long as the parent firm's D/E ratio is applied consistently here.
  2. The WACC will be underestimated, potentially leading to 'empire building' through bad acquisitions.
  3. The WACC will be overestimated, causing the firm to systematically pass on high-return projects.
  4. The cost of debt will automatically decrease enough to fully offset the incorrect equity beta being used.

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