skip to content
  1. Home
  2. >
  3. Investment Q&A
You can view 3 more answers this month. Sign up for a free trial for unlimited access.

Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Altagas preferred shares have really been pummeled in reaction to company developments and the sell off in prefs generally. Do you think they offer reasonable value at these levels and do you believe the dividend is reasonably secure in view of the coming cut in the common dividend? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Gary on December 03, 2018
Q: Hello Team
Could you please give me you opinion on DC.PR.E should I keep holding or sell, it represents about 3% in my overall portfolio. And if I should sell, it seems to be thinly traded how do I get rid of it with out having to sell 50 or a 100 shares at a time. I am down about 35% on this security.
Read Answer Asked by Don on November 27, 2018
Q: In the preferred share space I own both cpd and Ecn.pr.a. I am down a fair amount on both. Does the market really affect prefs that much. I bought because of the reset feature . Assuming higher interest rates the reset rate would be higher. No indication yet of falling rates in which case I would sell CPD and take my losses. On the other hand minimum rate reset preferred guarantees a specific rate protection on falling interest rates while at the same time having a possible increase in the reset rate if interest rates rise. Looks to me the best of both worlds. My investment is for income. Final question , will price go back to par on reset date.
Can one expect the the closer to reset the closer the value will be to par.
Read Answer Asked by Roy on November 26, 2018
Q: I own a Brookfield Renewable preferred (Series 11) that pays $1.25 (5%) thru to April 30, 2022. If not called, it will convert to the greater of GOCs+382bps, or 5%. Given my view of interest rates, I am comfortable with the position, because even if it is not called, I will be left with what I expect to be a good quality credit with a relatively attractive yield.

My concern is that it seems to have got caught up with the recent volatility, and is trading well below $25. Currently it is $23. I want to add more, but I wonder if I am missing anything here. I would still expect it to be called in 2022, as I just would not expect management to allow it to float at what I expect would be an above market interest rate. But I am already underwater significantly more that I would have ever expected on this, and I am leery of adding to the position.

Thoughts?
Read Answer Asked by Trevor on November 26, 2018
Q: Lots of questions to 5i on prefs lately. Some possible are explanations are in a recent article by John Heinzl: "Why preferred shares plunged."
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/education/article-why-prefs-plunged-and-the-acbs-of-the-loblaw-deal/
You can add indiscriminate dumping of issues by CPD,ZPR, and HPR on high volume days as they struggle to keep up with net redemptions. The bid/ask spread on these ETFs is far less than most individual issues, so investors look to them for liquidity.
Read Answer Asked by Jeff on November 26, 2018
Q: I own the 5.10 percent minimum rate reset preferred shares (Bpo.pr.e). Are these dividends available for the Canada dividend tax credit or if not how are they taxed? Thanks,Brian
Read Answer Asked by Brian on November 23, 2018
Q: I am retired and own GMP Capital preferred series B in a non-registered account for income. How safe do you think the dividend is? I was encouraged when they recently re-instated the dividend on the common shares, suggesting management confidence in ongoing profitability, yet the pref B price continues to trend lower. Why?
Read Answer Asked by David on November 23, 2018
Q: Why the sudden drop of preferred reset shares?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Terry on November 21, 2018
Q: When one reads the balance sheet are the pref shares included in the long term debt.
Read Answer Asked by Leon on November 21, 2018
Q: Hello 5i Team, I am having trouble understanding the recent behaviour of preferred shares in general. I would sooner not repeat the loss I took several years ago, and until recently had thought my current set-up was “safer”. However, I am now in danger of heading underwater on all but BCE in the following list. Do you see any “red flags” in these holdings going forward that might signal Sell?
BCE.PR.H (Ser AH)
BPO.PR.N (3.782% CUM 6.5 YRRY)
FFH.PR.G (3.318% CUM 5 YR RT RST)
BEP.PR.K (5% CUM MIN RT RST)

I note that CPD has also been moving down more or less in concert with my individual holdings.

Would appreciate your thoughts/insight here.

Thanks,
Read Answer Asked by Stephen R. on November 20, 2018
Q: HPR has dropped from the 9.60-9.70 range to below 9.00 in the last while, including yet another big drop today. I always thought a managed Pref ETF would not drop as much as the overall market during a correction and that it would be a defensive holding. Apparently not a correct assumption. So, what is happening with this ETF - should I sell and buy something more secure like a Utility, buy more of this ETF or what? My goal with this part of my portfolio is lower risk.
Read Answer Asked by David on November 19, 2018
Q: Goodmorning
What are your thoughts on the 2 above preffered shares?
continue to hold or move on?
Thks
Marcel
Read Answer Asked by Marcel on November 19, 2018