The Spartan Technology Company has a proposed contract with the Digital Systems Company of Michigan. The initial investment in land and equipment will be $320,000. Of this amount, $300,000 is subject to five-year MACRS depreciation. The balance is in nondepreciable property. The contract covers six years; at the end of six years, the nondepreciable assets will be sold for $20,000 after taxes. The depreciated assets will have zero resale value. Use Table 12-12. Use Appendix B for an approximate answer but calculate your final answer using the formula and financial calculator methods.
The contract will require an additional investment of $64,000 in working capital at the beginning of the first year and, of this amount, $44,000 will be returned to the Spartan Technology Company after six years.
The investment will produce $103,000 in income before depreciation and taxes for each of the six years. The corporation is in a 30 percent tax bracket and has a 15 percent cost of capital.
a. Calculate the net present value. (Do not round intermediate calculations and round your answer to 2 decimal places.)
Net present value $
b. Should the investment be undertaken?
No
Yes