Consolidated Natural Gas Company (CNG), with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest producers, transporters, distributors, and marketers of natural gas in North America.

Periodically, the company experiences a decrease in the value of its gas- and oil-producing properties, and a special charge to income was recorded in order to reduce the carrying value of those assets.

Assume the following information. In 2016, CNG estimated the cash inflows from its oil- and gas-producing properties to be \(375,000 per year. During 2017, the write-downs described above caused the estimate to be decreased to \)275,000 per year. Production costs (cash outflows) associated with all these properties were estimated to be \(125,000 per year in 2016, but this amount was revised to \)155,000 per year in 2017.

Instructions (Assume that all cash flows occur at the end of the year.)

(a) Calculate the present value of net cash flows for 2016–2018 (three years), using the 2016 estimates and a 10% discount factor.

(b) Calculate the present value of net cash flows for 2017–2019 (three years), using the 2017 estimates and a 10% discount factor.

(c) Compare the results using the two estimates. Is information on future cash flows from oil- and gas-producing properties useful, considering that the estimates must be revised each year? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The NPV for 2016-2018 is $621,712.9977, for 2017-2019 is $271,292.9445 and it provides very useful information regarding the increase and decrease in the value of assets.

Step by step solution

01

Calculation for part A

Year

2016-2018

Cash Inflows

375,000

Production cost

-125,000

Profit (cash flow)

250,000

Present Value of annuity factor (10% 3 years)

2.486851991

NPV

621712.9977

02

Calculation for part B

Year

2017-2019

Cash Inflows

275,000

Production cost

-155,000

Profit (cash flow)

120,000

Present Value of annuity factor (10% 3 years)

2.260774537

NPV

271292.9445

03

Calculation for Part C

The estimate of future cash flow is very useful as it provides the information and understanding of whether the value of gas and oil properties is increasing or decreasing from year to year. It also provides useful information for writing down the asset.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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Answer each of these unrelated questions.

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Ellison Inc., a manufacturer of steel school lockers, plans to purchase a new punch press for use in its manufacturing process. After contacting the appropriate vendors, the purchasing department received differing terms and options from each vendor. The Engineering Department has determined that each vendor’s punch press is substantially identical and each has a useful life of 20 years. In addition, Engineering has estimated that required year-end maintenance costs will be \(1,000 per year for the first 5 years, \)2,000 per year for the next 10 years, and \(3,000 per year for the last 5 years. Following is each vendor’s sales package.

Vendor A: \)55,000 cash at time of delivery and 10 year-end payments of \(18,000 each. Vendor A offers all its customers the right to purchase at the time of sale a separate 20-year maintenance service contract, under which Vendor A will perform all year-end maintenance at a one-time initial cost of \)10,000.

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Vendor C: Full cash price of \)150,000 will be due upon delivery.

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Craig Brokaw, newly appointed controller of STL, is considering ways to reduce his company’s expenditures on annual pension costs. One way to do this is to switch STL’s pension fund assets from First Security to NET Life. STL is a very well-respected computer manufacturer that recently has experienced a sharp decline in its financial performance for the first time in its 25-year history. Despite financial problems, STL still is committed to providing its employees with good pension and postretirement health benefits.

Under its present plan with First Security, STL is obligated to pay \(43 million to meet the expected value of future pension benefits that are payable to employees as an annuity upon their retirement from the company. On the other hand, NET Life requires STL to pay only \)35 million for identical future pension benefits. First Security is one of the oldest and most reputable insurance companies in North America. NET Life has a much weaker reputation in the insurance industry. In pondering the significant difference in annual pension costs, Brokaw asks himself, “Is this too good to be true?”

Instructions

Answer the following questions.

(a) Why might NET Life’s pension cost requirement be $8 million less than First Security’s requirement for the same future value?

(b) What ethical issues should Craig Brokaw consider before switching STL’s pension fund assets?

(c) Who are the stakeholders that could be affected by Brokaw’s decision?

Chris Spear invested $15,000 today in a fund that earns 8% compounded annually. To what amount will the investment grow in 3 years? To what amount would the investment grow in 3 years if the fund earns 8% annual interest compounded semiannually?

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