In financial management, the Cost of Capital (CoC) represents the minimum return required by investors, creditors, and shareholders to compensate for the risk of investing in a company. It's the opportunity cost of funds used by the company.
Components of Cost of Capital:
Cost of Debt (Cd): Interest rate paid on borrowed funds (e.g., loans, bonds)
Cost of Equity (Ce): Return required by shareholders (e.g., dividends, capital appreciation)
Cost of Retained Earnings (Cr): Opportunity cost of reinvesting profits
Cost of Preferred Stock (Cp): Dividend yield on preferred shares
Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC):
WACC calculates the overall CoC by weighting each component by its proportion in the company's capital structure:
WACC = (Cd x Rd) + (Ce x Re) + (Cr x Rr) + (Cp x Rp)
Rd, Re, Rr, Rp = Proportions of debt, equity, retained earnings, and preferred stock
Cd, Ce, Cr, Cp = Costs of debt, equity, retained earnings, and preferred stock