A Yield to Caution

Article Excerpt

CHEMTRADE LOGISTICS INCOME FUND $7.22 (Toronto symbol CHE.UN; Units outstanding: 104.8 million; Market cap: $756.7 million; Dividend yield: 8.3%; www.chemtradelogistics.com) is one of the largest removal-service providers for resource firms that create acids and sulphur as by-products. The Toronto-based company also makes and sells a variety of chemicals used in water treatment, along with a range of other specialty chemicals. Chemtrade Logistics operates as an income trust. That’s because the company is structured so its earnings are subject to a Canadian tax rate of no more than 10%. That helps keep its distributions high as a percentage of its cash flow. In March 2020, given the uncertainty of the global economy, the trust cut its monthly distribution by 50%, to $0.05 from $0.10. The units have a still-high yield of 8.3%. Chemtrade Logistics faces uncertain market demand that will weigh on it for the foreseeable future. At the same time, its long-term debt is now $1.0 billion, or a very high 1.3 times its market cap. Much…