![]() ![]() Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) → All Stakeholders (Debt + Equity).The appropriate discount rate to use is contingent on the represented stakeholders: One rule to abide by is that the discount rate and the represented stakeholders must align. The discount rate is a critical input in the DCF model – in fact, the discount rate is arguably the most influential factor to the DCF-derived value. Once all the cash flows are discounted to the present date, the sum of all the discounted future cash flows represents the implied intrinsic value of an investment, most often a public company. In a discounted cash flow analysis (DCF), the intrinsic value of an investment is based on the projected cash flows generated, which are discounted to their present value (PV) using the discount rate. Learn More → Discount Rate by Industry ( Damodaran) Why is the Discount Rate Important? More specifically, the future cash flows are more stable and likely to occur into the foreseeable future – hence, stable, market-leading companies like Amazon and Apple tend to exhibit lower discount rates. On the other hand, a lower discount rate causes the valuation to rise because such cash flows are more certain to be received. If the expected return is insufficient, it would not be reasonable to invest, as there are other investments elsewhere with a better risk/return trade-off. Therefore, the expected return is set higher to compensate the investors for undertaking the risk. Lower Discount Rate → Higher NPV (and Implied Valuation).Higher Discount Rate → Lower NPV (and Implied Valuation). ![]() Moreover, a fundamental concept in valuation is that incremental risk should coincide with greater returns potential. In the formula above, “n” is the year when the cash flow is received, so the further out the cash flow is received, the greater the reduction. Net Present Value (NPV) = Σ Cash Flow ÷ (1 + Discount Rate) ^ n With that said, a higher discount rate reduces the present value (PV) of the future cash flows (and vice versa). ![]() The net present value ( NPV) of a future cash flow equals the cash flow amount discounted to the present date. ![]() How Does the Discount Rate Impact Net Present Value (NPV)? Upon adjusting for the effects of compounding, the discount rate comes out to be 6.05% per 6-month period. However, rather than annual compounding, if we assume that the compounding frequency is semi-annual (2x per year), we would multiply the number of periods by the compounding frequency. The example we just completed assumes annual compounding, i.e. If we plug those assumptions into the formula from earlier, the discount rate is approximately 12.5%.
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