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Health Care Financial Analysis

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Introduction

The market sector we have chosen to do our financial analysis is Health Care. The Health Care market sector is then further divided into six main sub-sectors, for which our three companies, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Pfizer (PFE), and AstraZeneca (AZN), are categorized in the Pharmaceutical sub-sector. Furthermore, Yahoo Finance’s industry center labels these three companies as being Drug Manufacturers-Major. This industry is unique in that it has both defensive and cyclical aspects due to the overall need for medical treatment of diseases and the growth of innovative products and treatments. This market sector is also known for its heavy regulation and sensitivity to the political climate. One such example of this is the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare”. Other important characteristics of this market sector are its heavy Research and Development spending, extended times for products to reach the market and …show more content…

Johnson & Johnson’s after-tax cost of debt is 2.20% and its cost of equity is 5.90%. It raises money primarily through equity as its weight of equity and weight debt is about 92% and 8%, respectively. It’s after-tax WACC is 5.61%. Pfizer’s after-tax cost of debt and cost of equity is 0.85% and 7.70%, respectively. Only 12.18% of debt accounts for its total debt and equity, while equity makes up the remaining 87.82%. Pfizer’s after-tax WACC is 6.87%. AstraZeneca’s after-tax cost of debt and equity is 1.01% and 5.90%. It’s weight of debt is 28.37% and its weight of equity is 71.63%. AstraZeneca’s after-tax WACC is 4.51%.

Using the model, AstraZeneca has the lowest after-tax WACC of the three firms and has the lowest cost of capital, followed by Johnson & Johnson then Pfizer. AstraZeneca’s low after-tax WACC is mainly due to its high debt weight. Its debt to equity ratio is about 0.40, which is much larger than the other two firms.

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