A consultant has collected the following information regarding Hobbit Manufacturing:
Operating income (EBIT) $600 million, Debt $0, Interest expense $0, Tax rate 35%, Cost of equity 7%, WACC 7% . The company has no growth opportunities (g = 0), so the company pays out all of its earnings as dividends. Hobbit can borrow money at a pre-tax rate of 5%. The consultant believes that if the company moves to a capital structure consisting of 30% debt and 70% equity (based on market values), which would require taking on debt in the amount of $1,779.47 million, that the cost of equity will increase to 8% and the pre-tax cost of debt will remain at 6%, but the value of the firm will rise. Is the consultant correct? If the company makes this change, what will be the increase in total market value for the firm?