Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B) has been one of Canada’s most talked-about stocks over the last couple of years, and not in a good way, either.
The maker of planes and trains has been especially hampered by its CSeries program, an attempt to enter the lucrative mid-range commercial jet market. The project was plagued with delays, cost overruns, and other issues that pushed deliveries back. More than once, actually.
Things have been much better lately. The company received a cash injection from the Quebec government and operations improved. It also started delivering CSeries jets to customers. People no longer whisper about Bombardier’s impending bankruptcy.
One of the casualties of Bombardier’s struggles was its dividend. The $0.03-per-share quarterly dividend was axed in 2015 after some particularly bad results.
Fortunately, there’s still a way for investors to get paid to own Bombardier. All they have to do is buy the preferred shares.
Yes, preferred shares don’t offer the same upside as common shares. But in Bombardier’s case, they offer a lot of income today to make up for it.
Bombardier’s Series 4 preferred shares (ticker symbol TSX:BBD.PR.C) pay 39.0625 cents per share each quarter, which works out to approximately 9% annually. And since there are so few shares outstanding -- total dividends for all preferred shares are just $4.5 million per quarter -- the company can easily afford to pay preferred shareholders their dividends.
These preferred shares still carry risk. But for income investors with confidence in Bombardier’s recovery, they look to be a solid pick.
