Reinvestment plan cuts CIBC’s risk

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $57 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol CM; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 906.2 million; Market cap: $51.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 6.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cibc.com) will raise your quarterly dividend with the January 27, 2023, payment. Investors will then receive $0.85 a share, up 2.4% from $0.83. The new annual dividend rate of $3.40 offers you a high 6.0% yield. As well, starting with that January payment, shareholders can automatically re-invest their dividends in new shares at a 2% discount. The plan will help reduce the need for CIBC to sell new shares to bolster its capital reserves following a New York court ruling against the bank. With its lawsuit, hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management L.P. accused CIBC of defaulting on payments related to a limited-recourse note that the bank issued in 2008. The court ordered CIBC to pay damages of $491 million U.S., plus $357 million U.S. in interest…