A Yield to Caution: BCE 1st Preferred Series B

Article Excerpt

BCE 1ST PREFERRED SERIES B $19 (Toronto symbol BCE.PR.B) is a preferred share issue from BCE Inc. (symbol BCE on Toronto). The BCE Series B preferreds yield 8.8%. That’s much higher than the 6.3% offered by the utility’s common shares. Note, though, that preferred shares behave more like long-term fixed-income instruments than short-term instruments. That means that prices of pref shares are inversely correlated to interest rates. Simply put, this means that when rates go up, prices of fixed-return investments—including pref shares—tend to drop. The underlying credit quality of preferred share issuers can be a negative factor in some cases; for example, when the issuer’s share price is falling. So unlike, say, GICs, which don’t fall in value, the prices of preferreds can decline along with stock markets. All in all, with rates trending up, now is a particularly bad time for buying preferred shares. If you want income, you’re better off owning a high-quality, dividend-paying stock. This can provide you with a high, tax-advantaged dividend yield…