These Prefs Beat Bonds

Article Excerpt

Canadian banks have recently issued new preferred shares to raise capital. To attract investors in a time of weak stock markets, they’ve issued these preferreds on especially attractive terms. The preferreds pay dividends that give them yields of 6.25% to 6.50%. That’s higher than current Government of Canada long-term bond yields of 4% or so. What’s more, preferred dividends are treated the same for tax purposes as dividends from common shares. So, after-tax yields on preferred shares are actually as much as 43% higher when you factor in the Canadian dividend tax credit. The new bank preferreds also convert, after five years, into floating-rate preferreds tied to interest rates. They reset again every five years after that. This provision will help hold up the prices of these preferred shares if rates rise. Bank quality adds safety In general, bonds do have a couple of advantages over preferreds in terms of safety. They have a higher claim on assets in the event of a bankruptcy. As…