Kahn Inc. has a target capital structure of 50% common equity and 50% debt to fund its $10 billion in operating assets. Furthermore, Kahn Inc. has a WACC of 15%, a before-tax cost of debt of 8%, and a tax rate of 40%. The company's retained earnings are adequate to provide the common equity portion of its capital budget. Its expected dividend next year (D1) is $3 and the current stock price is $27.
a) What is the company's expected growth rate? Round your answer to two decimal places at the end of the calculations. Do not round your intermediate calculations.
b) If the firm's net income is expected to be $1.3 billion, what portion of its net income is the firm expected to pay out as dividends? (Hint: Refer to Equation below.)
Growth rate = (1 - Payout ratio) ROE