--%>

Effect of illegal obligations on cost of equity

If dividends paid to common stockholders are not legal obligations of a corporation, is the cost of equity zero?  Describe your answer.

Even though common stockholders do not contain a contractual claim on dividends the funds supplied by stockholders definitely contain a cost.  Equity investors are paid last and therefore they are taking the greatest risk among all of the suppliers of capital.  If the company does not get a higher rate of return onto equity funds to compensate for the higher risk taken through equity investors, the price of the stock will fall and thus the value of the firm. 

   Related Questions in Managerial Accounting

  • Q : What is Variable Cost Variable Cost : A

    Variable Cost: A cost which differs with changes in the level of an activity, whenever the other factors are held constant. The cost of material treating to an activity, for illustration, differs according to the number of material de

  • Q : Asset retirement obligation Significant

    Significant costs associated with the disposal of asset. Accounting for asset retirement obligations requires estimating the cost and discounting estimate. The present value added to the asset's depreciable base and a liability is recorded for the obligation. Every year, interest expense is added

  • Q : Define Cost Object Cost Object (also

    Cost Object (also referred to as Cost Objective): It is an activity, item, or output whose cost is to be computed. In a wide sense, a cost object can be an organizational division, task, a function, product, service, or a customer.

  • Q : Aging of Accounts What are Aging of

    What are Aging of Accounts? Briefly illustrate it.

  • Q : Explain Common Data Source Common Data

    Common Data Source: All of the programmatic and financial information available for the cost, budgetary, and financial accounting processes. This comprises all financial and much non-financial data, like environmental data, which are

  • Q : Define Variance Variance : The rate,

    Variance: The rate, amount, extent, or degree of change, or the divergence from a preferred state or characteristic.

  • Q : Explain Process Value Analysis Process

    Process Value Analysis: Tools and methods for studying processes via customer value analysis. Its objective is to recognize opportunities for lasting enhancement in the performance of an association. It offers an in-depth review of wo

  • Q : Explain Activity-Based Costing

    Activity-Based Costing: It is a cost accounting process that measures the cost and performance of process related activities and cost objects. It assigns cost to cost objects, like products or customers, based on their utilization of

  • Q : Provision of management accounting

    What do you mean by the term provision of management accounting information?

  • Q : Operation of business

    What are the main reasons that the operation of business environment has become ever more turbulent and competitive?