(A Bond is a Bond... is a Stock... is a Boondock)

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Week 3 Essay Assignment

A Bond Is a Bond Is a Bond . . . Is a Stock . . . Is a Boondock?

To fund some of its expansion plans, Orlando Rubber & Tire (ORT) recently issued 30-

year bonds with low coupon rates. Investors were willing to purchase the bonds despite

the low coupon rates because ORT’s debt has consistently been rated AAA during the

past decade, which means that bond rating agencies consider the company’s default risk

to be extremely low.

Now ORT is considering raising additional funds by issuing new debt. The company

plans to use the new funds to finance additional expansion. Unlike its previous expansion

efforts, however, ORT now plans to grow the firm by purchasing young firms that just

“went public” that are not in the tire and rubber industry.

Sally, who works closely with ORT’s investment banker, has been assigned the task of

determining how to best raise the desired funds. After speaking with the investment

banker, some friends who work at other companies, and peers in ORT’s international

subsidiaries, Sally is seriously considering recommending to management that ORT issue

a new security that has the characteristics of both debt and equity. The security, which

was recently introduced in the U.S. financial markets, is classified as debt because fixed

interest payments that are tax deductible are paid every year. Unlike conventional bonds,

however, these hybrid bonds, which are called “boondocks,” have maturities of 50 to 60

years. In addition, the firm is not considered to be in default if it misses interest payments

when the firm’s credit rating drops below B+. Most experts consider boondocks to be

quite complex financial instruments.

Through her research, Sally discovered that boondocks have been used for quite some

time outside of the Unite States. Compared with conventional debt, companies that have

used boondocks have increased their earnings per share (EPS) significantly. A major

reason EPS increases is because the cost of a boondock generally is much lower than

equity, but the instrument is comparable to equity financing with respect to maturity and

default risk. For example, Sally discovered that ORT could issue boondocks with an

after-tax cost equal to 5%, which is only slightly higher than the after-tax cost of issuing

conventional debt and is approximately one-third the cost of issuing new equity.

Although boondocks are considered risky, the actual degree of risk is unknown. The

friends and coworkers with whom Sally consulted seem to think there is a slight chance

that investors—both stockholders and bondholders—would earn returns significantly

lower than would be earned with conventional debt when the company performs

extremely poorly. The opposite should occur when the company performs very well.

The major drawback to issuing boondocks is that they will significantly increase the

financial leverage of ORT, and thus the value of the recently issued bonds will decrease

substantially. On the other hand, Sally thinks that issuing boondocks can be a win-win

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proposition for ORT and its common stockholders. If the company’s expansion plans are

unsuccessful, the market values of both its debt and its equity would decrease to the point

that it would be attractive for the firm to repurchase these financing instruments in the

capital markets. If this is true, then issuing boondocks would benefit stockholders at the

expense of bondholders. ORT’s executives are major stockholders because their bonuses

and incentives are paid in the company’s stock.

Write an essay that addresses the following questions about this situation:

 Is there an ethical problem? If so, what is it?

 What are corporate bond credit ratings and how are they determined?

 Is it appropriate for ORT to use boondocks to raise funds that are needed for expansion? Why or why not?

 What obligation do corporations have to their stock holders?

 What obligations do corporations have to their bond holders?

 What would you do if you were Sally?

Recommended reading:

Emily Thornton, “Gluttons at the Gate,” BusinessWeek, October 30, 2006, pp. 58-66. David Henry, “Cross-Dressing Securities,” BusinessWeek, March 13, 2006, pp. 58-59.