Firm A has a beta of 1.3 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.4 and an interest rate of 9% on its debt. It has chosen Firm P as a proxy for a new line of business it is considering. Firm P has a beta of 1.6 and a debt to equity ratio of 0.8 and the expected return on the S&P 500 is 12% and the risk-free rate is 5.5%. The marginal tax rate is 40%.
A. Find the correct required return that the firm should use for its investment in the new line of business.
B. What are the dangers associated with its using is own beta in the calculation?