Problem:
Suppose XYZ Corporation's stock is trading at $50.00 per share while ABC Corporation's stock is trading at $25.00 per share. XYZ has earnings per share (EPS) of $1.00 while ABC has EPS of $2.50. Currently neither company has debt, and each has 1,000,000 shares of stock outstanding.
If the merger takes place based on an exchange of stock (based on market value), which company should be the acquiring firm in order to see an increase in EPS?