Category

Capital Markets

BankingCapital AllocationCapital Markets
March 2, 2021

A Third Path for Stock Buybacks: Enhanced Open Market Repurchases

Some NeuGroup members have turned to eOMRs to get the flexibility of OMRs and pricing below VWAP, like ASRs.Many NeuGroup members across groups at recent meetings agreed they have enough excess liquidity and trust in market stability to restart share repurchases; but there has been a range of views about how much emphasis to place on the price per share a corporate pays for its own stock. Where companies fall on the spectrum of answers may determine if they opt…
Justin Jones
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Capital AllocationCapital MarketsESG
March 2, 2021

Getting Granular on Green Bond Proceeds: Capex? Opex? Both?

Some investors prefer that green bonds finance capex projects, but corporates use proceeds for opex, too—with caveats.How a corporate intends to spend the proceeds from a green bond is integral to deciding whether to issue the bond in the first place. You need to have sufficient uses to create a deal that is large enough to make the costs worthwhile and ensure that investors will participate. NeuGroup members at a recent ESG working group meeting addressed a related, more granular…
Justin Jones
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Capital MarketsTalking Shop
February 23, 2021

Talking Shop: Yes or No When Moody’s Asks for Dealer Agreements?

Member question: “Moody’s is asking us to provide our dealer agreements for our commercial paper program. Historically we have not provided private agreements. Are you seeing this also and if so, are you providing the agreements? “For what it’s worth, Moody’s is saying they want it to see the settlement period language in the document. We have provided the private placement memorandum which contains the binding settlement language.“We have not provided the dealer agreement and are pushing back on the…
Justin Jones
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Capital MarketsRisk Management
February 18, 2021

Swap Rates and the C-Suite: Making the Case for Floating-Rate Debt

Low fixed interest rates may make it harder—but not impossible—to convince management to swap to floating.Interest rates may be ticking up, but their historically low level is one reason some treasury teams may face difficulty convincing senior management to swap more of their company’s debt stack to floating rates from fixed. “It’s a hard time to argue to do it given where long-term rates are,” one NeuGroup member said at a recent meeting.“When the fixed-rate environment is this attractive, it’s…
Justin Jones
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Capital MarketsTax
February 16, 2021

Biden Tax Priorities May Fuel Shifts in Corporate Capital Structure

The effects of raising the corporate income tax rate and setting a global minimum tax on book income. Treasury and tax teams trying to plan for potential changes to US corporate tax policy will be looking for more clarity when President Biden addresses a joint session of Congress in one week, on Feb. 23. For a look at what corporates should have on the radar screen, NeuGroup Insights reached out to Justin Weiss, a partner in KPMG’s Washington national tax financial…
Justin Jones
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Capital MarketsESG
February 11, 2021

Supporting—Not Leading—the Green Charge: Defining Treasury’s Role

A discussion of green bonds includes the view that treasury “can’t push the cart up the hill” on sustainability.The steady drumbeat of enthusiasm about ESG from bankers, investors, rating agencies and the media has failed to convince some treasury teams to push their companies to jump on the green finance bandwagon. For one reason, these treasury practitioners say that issuing green bonds or using other forms of sustainability-linked finance does not currently make economic sense for them. More importantly, these…
Justin Jones
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Capital AllocationCapital MarketsCOVID-19
February 11, 2021

Sending a Strong Signal: Accelerated Share Repurchase Programs

As more companies resume stock buybacks, some treasurers are feeling pressure to use ASRs.Corporates eager to send a clear signal to investors about their financial health are brushing the dust off stock buyback plans and weighing—if not committing to—accelerated share repurchase (ASR) programs. That was among the takeaways from a NeuGroup meeting of treasurers this week. It’s the latest development in a journey that began in the spring when the pandemic slammed the brakes on many share repurchase programs. In…
Justin Jones
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Capital AllocationCapital MarketsTalking Shop
February 11, 2021

Talking Shop: Do You Use Barra Beta or Bloomberg To Calculate WACC?

Member question: “Is anyone using Barra to calculate WACC (weighted average cost of capital) or do you use another service provider? “To calculate cost of equity, we use our beta available from Bloomberg. Over the last year, our beta has decreased. The lower beta results in a lower calculated cost of equity and then WACC.“We think this could be a short-term impact and need to be very thoughtful about how to apply it in various analysis. In recent conversations, we…
Justin Jones
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Capital AllocationCapital Markets
February 9, 2021

Spin-off Class: Perspective From a NeuGroup Member Pedaling Hard

Spin-offs mean complex, time-consuming work on capital structure, bank accounts, credit facilities and more. Spin-offs are huge strategic undertakings for corporations looking to part ways with a subsidiary or business. And finance teams, including treasury, do a lot of the heavy lifting to manage a complex process that can take years to complete. At a recent NeuGroup meeting, one member in the midst of a spin-off described the process as an “all-consuming activity.”Afterward, he agreed to share some insights and perspective…
Justin Jones
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Capital AllocationCapital Markets
February 9, 2021

Why Spin-offs Are Complex, Time-Consuming Affairs: A Lawyer’s View

The legal perspective on spin-offs from attorneys at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.Spin-offs are intricate, multifaceted endeavors for corporates that decide to take a subsidiary and make it an independent public company. In addition to internal finance and tax teams, they can involve scores of investment bankers, auditors and lawyers. At a recent NeuGroup meeting, one member in the midst of a spin-off described the process as an “all-consuming activity.”For a look at some of what’s involved, NeuGroup Insights turned to…
Justin Jones
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