jr: wealth management b now may be a good time to buy...

11/20/13 Is Now a Good Time to Buy Preferred Shares? - WSJ.com

online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB30001424052702303482504579177610968290376 1/4

U.S.Subscribe Log In

WSJ WSJ LIVE MARKETWATCH BARRON'S PORTFOLIO DJX THE SHOPS MORE UpdatedPrivacy Policy »

JR: WEALTH MANAGEMENT B

ALTERNATIVE INVESTING

Now May Be a Good Time to Buy Preferred Stock

Obama BacksPiecemealImmigrationOverh...

1 of 12

New TechWorries Loom forHealth Law

2 of 12

In Tornado's Wake,a 'Hell of a Mess'

3 of 12

Bernanke: Rates to StayLow 'Well After...

4 of 12

Nov. 10, 2013 5:06 p.m. ET

QAre preferred shares a good investment in this market and are they closer to bonds orstocks?

APreferred shares are complex investments that have similarities to both equities anddebt. Preferred shares trade like stocks and are a claim on the assets and earnings of acompany, just like common shares. But they hold a higher claim on the assets thancommon stock. That makes preferreds a somewhat safer investment.

While preferred shares usually don't have voting rights, they pay a regular dividend thatcan be substantial, making them similar in some ways to bonds. Dividends paid bypreferred shares usually must be paid out before common shareholders receive theirdividends.

"Preferred shares are slightly more like bonds than stocks as their historical price volatilitymore closely matches that of bonds," says Andrew Zimmerman, chief investmentstrategist at DT Investment Partners LLC. Just like bonds, they can be called by theissuer in times of falling interest rates, Mr. Zimmerman notes.

"Since preferred shares are sensitive to interest-rate movements, their prices fall wheninterest rates rise and vice versa," he says. "However, since they offer such relativelyhigh yields, the income component of preferred shares can help to offset the price declinein periods of small interest-rate spikes."

There are good reasons for investors to focus on preferred shares today, analysts say.

Interest rates remain puny, making the dividend yields of many preferred shares attractive.Some professional investors also are becoming excited about preferred shares, partlybecause they're wary of putting too much money in a stock market that remains near all-time highs and is expensive based on some metrics.

Mostly FinancialsAlthough most preferreds are issued by financial companies, a sector that's still inrecovery mode, their yields may make up for the risk of betting on financials.

At the same time, the market for preferred shares isn't widely followed by Wall Streetanalysts and can be complicated, making it easier sometimes to find bargains.

"There's downside but you get a great yield, and with the stock market at expensivelevels, getting 7% or 8% isn't the worst idea in the world," says Bradley Golding, amanaging director at New York investment firm Christofferson, Robb & Co., whichspecializes in investing in financial companies.

Mr. Golding says dividends paid on preferreds issued by taxpaying entities, such asbanks, are considered "qualified" dividends. Much like dividends on common stock, thesedividends are taxed at a lower rate than regular income, making them more attractive.

Investors buying preferred shares in a taxable account should focus on qualified dividends

What's This?Popular Now

ARTICLESOpinion: Jenkins:How the GOPShould FixObamaCare

1

ChechenBlowback: TheRebel CommanderThat Assad, Russiaand the U.S. AllFear

2

Opinion: J.P. Morgan and Its 'Victims'

TOP STORIES IN U.S.

Email Print 0 Comments Save

News, Quotes, Companies, Videos SEARCH



WSJ In-Depth

Content From Sponsors

Mr. Zuckerman is a reporter for The Wall StreetJournal in New York and author of "The Frackers: TheOutrageous Inside Story of the New BillionaireWildcatters." He can be reached [email protected].

so they can access this lower rate, Mr. Golding says.

The risk to preferreds is similar to that of equities—the issues could run into trouble,making dividends less secure and pressuring the value of the share price. Anotherdanger: Preferreds, like bonds, generally do poorly in a rising-rate environment. That'sbecause their yields become less attractive on a relative basis as bond yields rise.Investors convinced the U.S. Federal Reserve will begin raising rates next year should becautious about owning too many preferred shares, analysts say.

Comparative PlusBut with the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds paying a skimpy 2.6% or so, it makessense to buy preferred shares sporting yields of 7% to 8%, some advisers say.

Other advantages of preferreds: It's easy to track their prices, and they trade frequently,allowing investors to exit easily.

Some investors note that some preferred shares have fallen in price in recent months,amid nervousness about when the Federal Reserve will push rates higher, making someof these investments more attractive.

One reason that referred shares aren't as popular as common shares: There are differenttypes of preferreds, which can be confusing. Convertible preferred shares are closer toequities because they allow an investor to convert shares into a fixed number of commonshares at a certain date. Other preferred securities pay a floating-rate dividend, or one thatmoves with interest rates, while others allow an issuer to suspend a dividend paymentwith no requirement to pay back missed dividends.

"Unlike bonds whose coupon payments are legal obligations of the issuing company, thequarterly dividends paid by preferred shares…can be suspended by the company at anytime," Mr. Zimmerman says.

It's important for an investor to read offering materials carefully before diving into thepreferred-stock pool. Considering a mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund that buyspreferred shares is another option.

"The preferred market is a diverse and complex one," notes Mitchell Stapley, chiefinvestment officer of Fifth Third Asset Management Inc. and manager of TouchstoneFlexible Income Fund. "Investors are probably wise to use a fund structure where theycan have an experienced manager of preferreds run their money."

Bull ScenarioKeep in mind that preferred shares generally don't do as well as common shares in a bullmarket, such as the current one in the U.S.

That's why some advisers, such as Matthew Tuttle, president of Tuttle TacticalManagement LLC in Stamford, Conn., think investors should be cautious about preferreds,despite current circumstances.

Says Mr. Tuttle, "Anything that pays interest will be subject to the whims of the" FederalReserve."

Mr. Zuckerman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. He can be reachedat [email protected].

VIDEO

3

Opinion: Best of theWeb Today: SnakeEyes

4

J.P. Morgan IsHaunted by a 2006Decision onMortgages

5

Obama to OfferAfghans Apology,and More

1

Bidets Catch on inLuxury Homes

2

New Tech WorriesLoom for HealthLaw, and More

3

The TechnologyBehind VanDamme's 'Epic'Volvo Ad

4

Bitcoin: Is theCurrency BecomingMore Real?

5

What's This?

Boeing’s New 787-9 DreamlinerTakes to the SkiesNYSE

10 Great Small Cities forRetirementAARP

The Ghost of Flight 401uLive

How legitimate are the government allegations against JPMorgan?

Email Print 0 Comments Order Reprints Save



Community rules

JOURNAL COMMUNITYAdd a Comment

Track replies to my comment

Obama Launches Refi PlanIf you owe under $729k you may qualify for 3.05% APR Govt RefiPlans.www.SeeRefinanceRates.com

Warren Buffett ConfessesWarren Buffetts Shocking Confession Will Change your InvestingStrategywww.MarketTrendSignal.com

Public Arrest Records1) Enter Name - Search for Free. 2) Get Arrest Records Instantly!www.InstantCheckmate.com

At Old Sites,Radioactive QuestionsLinger

Afghans Flee Homesas U.S. Pulls Back

Cities Use Sticks,Carrots to Rein InGangs

Inside the Nation'sBiggest Experiment inSchool Choice

Syrian Regime BlocksFood to Gassed Town

Prescribed: APersonalized Tour of'Obamacare'

To add a comment please

Log in Create an AccountYour real name is required

for commenting.

CLEAR POST

Fox Business

Wall Stree JournalFacebookTwitter LinkedInFourSquareGoogle+YouTubePodcastsRSS Feed AppStoreBack to Top

Customer Service

Customer Center

New! Live Help

Policy

Privacy Policy Updated10/26/13

Cookie Policy

Ads

Advertise

Place a Classified Ad

Tools & Features

Apps

Emails & Alerts

More

Register for Free

Reprints

Subscribe / Login



Contact Us

WSJ Weekend

Contact Directory

Corrections

Data Policy

Copyright Policy

Subscriber Agreement& Terms of Use

Your Ad Choices

Sell Your Home

Sell Your Business

Commercial Real Estate Ads

Recruitment & Career Ads

Franchising

Advertise Locally

Graphics & Photos

Columns

Topics

Guides

Portfolio

Old Portfolio

Content Partnerships

Conferences

SafeHouse

Mobile Site

News Archive

Jobs at WSJ Copyright ©2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

jr: wealth management b now may be a good time to buy...

Documents