What Is WACC? A Practical Guide for Investment Banking

Weighted average cost of capital, or WACC, is the blended return required by a company’s debt and equity investors. Understanding WACC matters because it is commonly used to discount cash flows in a discounted cash flow valuation and can materially affect the resulting enterprise value.

Author: Michael Harris Updated 4 min read

What WACC Measures

A company typically finances its operations with a combination of debt and equity. Lenders expect interest payments, while shareholders expect a return that compensates them for taking greater risk. WACC combines these required returns into one percentage, weighted by each source’s share of the company’s capital structure.

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