A. Butcher Timber Company hired your consulting firm to help them estimate the cost of equity. The yield on the firm's bonds is 10.50%, and your firm's economists believe that the cost of equity can be estimated using a risk premium of 4.85% over a firm's own cost of debt. What is an estimate of the firm's cost of equity from retained earnings?
14.35%
12.62%
15.35%
16.92%
17.50%