YellowBrickRoad wrote: gold_diggers1 wrote:
Just wondering whether LFE has enough cash to pay its dividend as I noticed that dividend paying was interrupted in some months.
Since it is a split share offering, there are two dividends to consider here. One is the Preferred Share
LFE.P.B Stock Info and the other the Class A share, LFE.
The share price on the Preferred Share is currently $10.25 The 52wk High and Low are $10.50 and $10.12 respectively, so you can see there is not much variation. The distribution is $0.05208 per share so the yield is 6.25% if you purchase at $10 and given the 52wk H&L, doesn't vary much. The investment objective is to return the original issue price ($10) upon the termination date (December 1, 2018).
The share price on the Class A shares is currently $5.72. The 52wk High and Low are $7.01 and $4.54 respectively. It was as high as $18 in 2008, and as low as $1.99 in 2011, so the yield has gone up and down as well. The distribution is 10 cents a share but is only paid when the NAV (Net Asset Value) of the fund is above $15.
The NAV is calculated by dividing the Total Net Assets of the fund by the number of units outstanding. As of January 31, 2018, this was $223,492,410 / 14,830,286 units = $15.07.
Here are the NAV figures for the last few months:
- Sept. 29 $15.16 ($224,803,407)
- Oct. 31 $15.35 ($227,665,653)
- Nov. 30 $15.51 ($230,017,736)
- Dec. 29 $15.22 ($225,716,953)
- Jan. 31 $15.07 ($223,492,410)
- Units outstanding remains steady at 14,830,286 for all above months
When the underlying stocks have gains and the covered calls bring in income, the NAV stays above $15. There were no distributions on the Class A shares from June of 2011 to October of 2013, this is when the share price was at its lowest point.
There was also a long spell between March of 2014 and October of 2016 when only two distributions were made (June and July of 2015). They did really pick up steam, though, when the distributions double from 5 cents to 10 cents when they resumed in Nov of 2016. Since Nov of 2016, three distrubutions were not made in May, June and Sept of 2017.
If they close the fund in December 2018, those with Class A shares may experience a loss, depending on what they paid. Those who bought at the original prospectus price of $15 will more than likely experience a loss, those who bought in 2011 at $2 may experience a gain. It depends on what the market does for the remainder of this year. The Class A share price may continue to drop the closer we are to December, but it has been hovering around the $5.50 - $5.75 range for the last few years, perhaps it will continue to do that.
Perhaps someone with experience in this type of stock can share with us what may happen to the Class A shares as we near December. I expect that are a few factors that may influence which direction this goes, but is there a pattern they are likely to follow?
They extended the termination date in December of 2012 when the Class A shares were at a low, so it seems there is a good chance they will keep this train running.