Discounted Cash Flow Valuation
What do baseball players Jason Varitek, Mark Teixeira, and C. C. Sabathia have in common? All three athletes signed big contracts in late 2008 or early 2009. The contract values were reported as $10 million, $180 million, and $161.5 million, respectively. But reported figures like these are often misleading. For example, in February 2009, Jason Varitek signed with the Boston Red Sox. His contract called for salaries of $5 million, and a club option of $5 million for 2010, for a total of $10 million. Not bad, especially for someone who makes a living using the “tools of ignorance” (jock jargon for a catcher’s equipment). A closer look at the numbers shows that Jason, Mark, and C. C. did pretty well, but nothing like the quoted figures. Using Mark’s contract as an example, although the value was reported to be $180 million, it was actually payable over several years. It consisted of a $5 million signing bonus plus $175 million in future salary and bonuses. The $175 million was to be distributed as $20 million per year in 2009 and 2010 and $22.5 million per year for years 2011 through 2016. Because the payments were spread out over time, we must consider the time value of money, which means his contract was worth less than reported. How much did he really get? This chapter gives you the “tools of knowledge” to answer this question.
4.1 Valuation: The One-Period Case
Keith Vaughn is trying to sell a piece of raw land in Alaska. Yesterday he was offered $10,000 for the property. He was about ready to accept the offer when another individual offered him $11,424. However, the second offer was to be paid a year from now. Keith has satisfied himself that both buyers are honest and financially solvent, so he has no fear that the offer he selects will fall through. These two offers are pictured as cash flows in Figure 4.1. Which
