Understanding preferred shares

Article Excerpt

Here are common types of preferred shares available in Canada: Perpetual: Investors receive a fixed dividend in perpetuity or until redeemed by the issuer. That’s typically 5 years after they are issued. Rate-Reset: Pay investors a fixed dividend for the first 5 years after being issued. They can then reset on the redemption date if a preannounced spread over a 5-year government bond or T-bill is reached and if the shares are not redeemed by the issuer. That reset provision provides some protection against rising interest rates. Retractable: Pay investors a fixed dividend; normally, the issuer redeems their shares based to a redemption schedule, while investors have the option to sell to the issuer on or after the prescribed date. Fixed-Floating: Pay investors a fixed dividend for 5 years after the shares are issued. Following that, the issuer can redeem the shares. If not redeemed, the issuer will announce a new dividend rate for the next 5 years. That could be based on a..