New project analysis You must evaluate a proposed spectrometer for the R&D depar
ID: 2723821 • Letter: N
Question
New project analysis
You must evaluate a proposed spectrometer for the R&D department. The base price is $100,000, and it would cost another $15,000 to modify the equipment for special use by the firm. The equipment falls into the MACRS 3-year class and would be sold after 3 years for $50,000. The applicable depreciation rates are 33%, 45%, 15%, and 7%. The equipment would require an $11,000 increase in net operating working capital (spare parts inventory). The project would have no effect on revenues, but it should save the firm $33,000 per year in before-tax labor costs. The firm's marginal federal-plus-state tax rate is 40%.
a) What is the initial investment outlay for the spectrometer, that is, what is the Year 0 project cash flow? Round your answer to the nearest cent.
b)What are the project's annual cash flows in Years 1, 2, and 3? Round your answers to the nearest cent.
c) If the WACC is 12%, should the spectrometer be purchased?
Explanation / Answer
a. Year Zero cash flow = Inital Investment = 100,000 (base price) + 15,000 ( to modify) + 11000 (Increase in working capital) = 126,000
b. The cash flows for the spectrometer is as shown below:
Firstly we calculate the salavage value :
Now we calculate the cash flows for years 1,2, and 3
c. The NPV of the project is calculated as follows:
Since there is a negative NPV, the spectrometer should not be purchased
Book value 7000 Sale Value 50000 Excess Value 43000 Tax at 40% on excess value 17200 Salvage Value 32800