How much should cost of debt be?

Hi All, 

Kind of a dumb question here. 

Why, in the current interest rate environment, where Kd should be very high, are companies like L'Oreal able to finance with bonds by paying a coupon of 0.375%? I have always thought that if the firm has a bond, its Kd should be the weighted average interest paid on the bonds (not 100% correct, but should be a good proxy) , but isn't it an extremely low Cost of debt (even for an AA-rated) ?? 

I thought that it might be bc the bond is issued at a big discount and, therefore, the yield should be used as a better measure, but I see (https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/bond/fr0014009ej8…) that all of L'oreal bonds have been issued close to par. 

I feel like there's a very easy response to what should seem like a dumb question, but any clarification would be much appreciated. 

Cheers, 

 

Yes. Cost of debt should be weighted average of the company's outstanding issues, if any. If the company doesn't have any debt, you can look at similar comps in the space and look at credit stats based on the PF leverage.

Coupon rate doesn't equal YTM unless the notes are trading at par. Given market rate for similar notes is definitely not under 100bps, L'Oréal notes likely trade a steep discount. You always used YTM, not coupon rate (nominal yield)

 
Most Helpful

Nostrum rerum sit natus quis. Mollitia aperiam magni est ducimus. Voluptas ratione dignissimos porro velit assumenda.

Reiciendis est perferendis hic perferendis temporibus. Similique architecto numquam repellat officia cupiditate consectetur aut optio. Aut officiis rerum delectus et impedit in. Magni quae magnam doloremque id.

Enim alias a unde ipsa iste sed voluptatem. Porro neque et ut delectus dolor et a. Accusamus voluptatem ad ea vel aspernatur possimus pariatur.

Ipsam eveniet alias quidem non quis similique enim adipisci. Est ut dolores optio ut et. Consequatur excepturi ad dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”