The WACC of Alaska Air Group Inc (ALK) is 7.4%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 9.30% - 13.40% | 11.35% |
| Tax rate | 27.00% - 27.40% | 27.20% |
| Cost of debt | 4.50% - 7.50% | 6.00% |
| WACC | 5.9% - 8.9% | 7.4% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 3.9% | 4.4% |
| Equity market risk premium | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Adjusted beta | 1.18 | 1.53 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 9.30% | 13.40% |
| Tax rate | 27.00% | 27.40% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Cost of debt | 4.50% | 7.50% |
| After-tax WACC | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| Selected WACC | 7.4% | |
The Cost of Equity reflects the return a company needs to deliver to shareholders to justify the risk of investing in its shares. It’s computed using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which blends the risk-free rate, the stock’s beta, and the market risk premium.
This method evaluates the stock’s risk compared to a safe investment and the market’s overall volatility.
Here’s how we figure out the cost of equity for ALK:
cost_of_equity (11.35%) = risk_free_rate (4.15%) + equity_risk_premium (5.10%) * adjusted_beta (1.18) + risk_adjustments (0.25%)
We include the risk adjustments, which range from 0% to 1%, to keep our WACC conservatives, especially for companies traded in developing markets.