PrefBlog

AltaGas Ltd. has announced:

its intention to redeem – in accordance with the terms of the Cumulative Redeemable 5-Year Rate Reset Preferred Shares, Series C (the “Series C Shares”) as set out in the Company’s articles – all of its 8,000,000 issued and outstanding Series C Shares on September 30, 2022 (the “Redemption Date”) for a redemption price equal to US$25.00 per Series C Share, together with all accrued and unpaid dividends to, but excluding, the Redemption Date (the “Redemption Price”), less any tax required to be deducted or withheld by the Company.

As outlined in an August 17, 2022 press release, AltaGas intends to use the net proceeds from the $250 million of 7.35% Fixed-to-Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes, Series 2 due August 17, 2082 to redeem or repurchase its outstanding Series C Shares.

The Company has provided notice today of the Redemption Price and the Redemption Date to the sole registered holder of the Series C Shares in accordance with the terms of the Series C Shares as set out in the Company’s articles. Non-registered holders of Series C Shares should contact their broker or other intermediary for information regarding the redemption process for the Series C Shares in which they hold a beneficial interest. The Company’s transfer agent for the Series C Shares is Computershare Investor Services Inc. Questions regarding the redemption process may be directed to Computershare Investor Services Inc. at 1-800-564-6253 or by email to corporateactions@computershare.com.

ALA.PR.U was issued as a FixedReset, US-Pay, 4.40%+358, that commenced trading 2012-6-6 after being announced 2012-5-29. It reset to 5.29% in 2017. The possibility of a redemption was announced earlier this month.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader CanSiamCyp for bringing this to my attention!

AltaGas Ltd. has announced:

that it is considering an offering of hybrid subordinated debt securities under its short form base shelf prospectus dated February 22, 2021.

If a successful offering is priced and completed, the Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to redeem or repurchase its outstanding cumulative redeemable five-year rate reset preferred shares, series C (TSX: ALA.PR.U). There is no certainty that AltaGas will ultimately complete the offering being considered or as to the timing or terms on which such an offering might be completed.

ALA.PR.U was issued as a FixedReset, US-Pay, 4.40%+358, that commenced trading 2012-6-6 after being announced 2012-5-29. It reset to 5.29% in 2017.

As this is a USD-denominated issue it is not tracked by HIMIPref™ and there will be no recommendation regarding converting or holding.

So, even the junk credits are jumping on the bond market bandwagon! One might think that the preferred share market is undervalued or something!

Update, 2022-8-4: AltaGas Ltd. has announced:

that it has priced an offering of $250 million of 7.35% Fixed-to-Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes, Series 2 due August 17, 2082 (the “Offering”).

The Offering is expected to close on or about August 17, 2022. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to redeem or repurchase its outstanding cumulative redeemable five-year rate reset preferred shares, series C (TSX: ALA.PR.U).

The subordinated notes are being offered through a syndicate of underwriters, co-led by BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank, under AltaGas’ short form base shelf prospectus dated February 22, 2021, as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated August 4, 2022.

Enbridge Inc. has announced:

that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem its currently outstanding Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series L (Series L Shares) (TSX: ENB.PF.U) on September 1, 2022. As a result, subject to certain conditions, the holders of the Series L Shares have the right to convert all or part of their Series L Shares on a one-for-one basis into Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series M of Enbridge (Series M Shares) on September 1, 2022. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series L Shares into Series M Shares will retain their Series L Shares.

The foregoing conversion right is subject to the conditions that: (i) if Enbridge determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series L Shares outstanding after September 1, 2022, then all remaining Series L Shares will automatically be converted into Series M Shares on a one-for-one basis on September 1, 2022; and (ii) alternatively, if Enbridge determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series M Shares outstanding after September 1, 2022, no Series L Shares will be converted into Series M Shares. There are currently 16,000,000 Series L Shares outstanding.

With respect to any Series L Shares that remain outstanding after September 1, 2022, holders thereof will be entitled to receive quarterly fixed cumulative preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Enbridge. The new annual dividend rate applicable to the Series L Shares for the five-year period commencing on September 1, 2022 to, but excluding, September 1, 2027 will be 5.85790 percent, being equal to the five-year United States Government treasury bond yield of 2.70790 percent determined as of today plus 3.15 percent in accordance with the terms of the Series L Shares.

With respect to any Series M Shares that may be issued on September 1, 2022, holders thereof will be entitled to receive quarterly floating rate cumulative preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Enbridge. The dividend rate applicable to the Series M Shares for the three-month floating rate period commencing on September 1, 2022 to, but excluding, December 1, 2022 will be 1.41611 percent, based on the annual rate on three month United States Government treasury bills for the most recent treasury bills auction of 2.53 percent plus 3.15 percent in accordance with the terms of the Series M Shares (the Floating Quarterly Dividend Rate). The Floating Quarterly Dividend Rate will be reset every quarter.

Beneficial holders of Series L Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion during the conversion period, which runs from August 2, 2022 until 5:00 p.m. (EST) on August 17, 2022, should communicate as soon as possible with their broker or other intermediary for more information. It is recommended that this be done well in advance of the deadline in order to provide the broker or other intermediary time to complete the necessary steps. Any notices received after this deadline will not be valid.

As ENB.PF.U is a US-Pay issue, it is not tracked by HIMIPref™.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader CanSiamCyp for bringing this to my attention!

Update, 2022-8-18: As noted by Assiduous Reader JoeBackyard in the comments, Enbridge has announced:

that none of its outstanding Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series L (Series L Shares) will be converted into Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series M of Enbridge (Series M Shares) on September 1, 2022.

After taking into account all conversion notices received from holders of its outstanding Series L Shares by the August 17, 2022 deadline for the conversion of the Series L Shares into Series M Shares, less than the 1,000,000 Series L Shares required to give effect to conversions into Series M Shares were tendered for conversion.

Enbridge Inc. has announced:

that it has exercised its right to redeem all of its outstanding Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series J (“Series J Shares”) (TSX: ENB.PR.U) on June 1, 2022 at a price of US$25.00 per Series J Share, together with all accrued and unpaid dividends, if any.

Beneficial holders who are not directly the registered holders of the Series J Shares should contact the financial institution, broker or other intermediary through which they hold their Series J Shares to confirm how they will receive their redemption proceeds. Inquiries from registered shareholders should be directed to Enbridge’s Registrar and Transfer Agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., at 1-800-564-6253 (Canada and United States) or 1-514-982-7555 (Outside North America).

ENB.PR.U is a FixedReset, 4.00%+305, US-Pay, that commenced trading 2012-4-19 after being announced 2012-4-10. The issue reset to 4.89% in 2017.

Thanks to Assiduous Reader skeptical for ensuring I was aware of this redemption.

The market was certainly not expecting this, as ENB.PR.U was up 13.65% on the day to close at 25.23 and related issues – denominated in USD – performed similarly well: ENB.PR.V up 9.48% to 24.26; ENB.PF.U up 10.79% to 24.54; and ENB.PF.V up 9.88% to 22.80; all hitting new 52-week highs on the day.

Enbridge Inc. has announced:

that none of Enbridge’s outstanding Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 5 (Series 5 Shares) will be converted into Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 6 of Enbridge (Series 6 Shares) on March 1, 2019.

After taking into account all conversion notices received from holders of its outstanding Series 5 Shares by the February 14, 2019 deadline for the conversion of the Series 5 Shares into Series 6 Shares, less than the 1,000,000 Series 5 Shares required to give effect to conversions into Series 6 Shares were tendered for conversion.

ENB.PF.V is a US-Pay FixedReset, 4.40%+282, that commenced trading 2013-9-27 after being announced 2013-9-19. It will reset to 5.3753% effective 2019-3-1. The issue is not tracked by HIMIPref™.

Enbridge Inc. has announced:

that it does not intend to exercise its right to redeem its currently outstanding Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 5 (Series 5 Shares) (TSX: ENB.PF.V) on March 1, 2019. As a result, subject to certain conditions, the holders of the Series 5 Shares have the right to convert all or part of their Series 5 Shares on a one-for-one basis into Cumulative Redeemable Preference Shares, Series 6 of Enbridge (Series 6 Shares) on March 1, 2019. Holders who do not exercise their right to convert their Series 5 Shares into Series 6 Shares will retain their Series 5 Shares.

The foregoing conversion right is subject to the conditions that: (i) if Enbridge determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 5 Shares outstanding after March 1, 2019, then all remaining Series 5 Shares will automatically be converted into Series 6 Shares on a one-for-one basis on March 1, 2019; and (ii) alternatively, if Enbridge determines that there would be less than 1,000,000 Series 6 Shares outstanding after March 1, 2019, no Series 5 Shares will be converted into Series 6 Shares. There are currently 8,000,000 Series 5 Shares outstanding.

With respect to any Series 5 Shares that remain outstanding after March 1, 2019, holders thereof will be entitled to receive quarterly fixed cumulative preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Enbridge. The new annual dividend rate applicable to the Series 5 Shares for the five-year period commencing on March 1, 2019 to, but excluding, March 1, 2024 will be 5.3753 percent, being equal to the five-year United States Treasury bond yield of 2.5553 percent determined as of today plus 2.82 percent in accordance with the terms of the Series 5 Shares.

With respect to any Series 6 Shares that may be issued on March 1, 2019, holders thereof will be entitled to receive quarterly floating rate cumulative preferential cash dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Enbridge. The dividend rate applicable to the Series 6 Shares for the three-month floating rate period commencing on March 1, 2019 to, but excluding, June 1, 2019 will be 1.34597 percent, based on the annual rate on three month United States Government treasury bills for the most recent treasury bills auction of 2.52 percent plus 2.82 percent in accordance with the terms of the Series 6 Shares (the Floating Quarterly Dividend Rate). The Floating Quarterly Dividend Rate will be reset every quarter.

Beneficial holders of Series 5 Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion during the conversion period, which runs from January 30, 2019 until 5:00 p.m. (EST) on February 14, 2019, should communicate as soon as possible with their broker or other intermediary for more information. It is recommended that this be done well in advance of the deadline in order to provide the broker or other intermediary time to complete the necessary steps. Any notices received after this deadline will not be valid.

ENB.PF.V is a US-Pay FixedReset, 4.40%+282, that commenced trading 2013-9-27 after being announced 2013-9-19. It is not tracked by HIMIPref™.

DBRS has announced (on March 20) that it:

notes the impact of the announcement by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it will no longer allow master limited partnership (MLP) interstate natural gas and oil pipelines to recover an income tax allowance in cost of service (COS) rates on the following ratings of Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (EEP):

— Issuer Rating of BBB, Stable trend
— Senior Unsecured Notes rating of BBB, Stable trend
— Junior Subordinated Notes rating of BB (high), Stable trend
— Commercial Paper rating of R-2 (middle), Stable trend

DBRS estimates that the potential financial impact of the FERC decision and U.S. Tax Reform noted below would likely reduce EEP’s financial risk profile (on a DBRS modified-consolidated basis) to the low end of the BBB range in the absence of corrective measures. However, DBRS’s current business risk assessment of EEP as well as Enbridge Inc.’s (ENB; rated BBB (high) with a Stable trend by DBRS) history of supporting EEP through various measures are both supportive of the current ratings.

As an MLP, EEP’s credit metrics would be negatively affected by the implementation of the FERC decision, as some of the rates applicable to its expansion projects are tolled annually on a COS basis via the Lakehead Facility Surcharge Mechanism (FSM). EEP has indicated that, should FERC’s new policy be announced with an assumed implementation date of March 31, 2018, the 2018 financial impact to EEP is expected to be an approximate $100 million reduction in revenues and a $60 million reduction to distributable cash flow (DCF), net of non-controlling interests. Consequently, EEP has adjusted its 2018 DCF guidance range to $650 million — $700 million and 2018 total distribution coverage to approximately 1.0 times (x) from approximately 1.15x.

DBRS notes that the current 2018 Guidance adjustments follow previous 2018 Guidance adjustments announced on February 15, 2018 (concurrently with the Q4 2017 results announcement). In that case, as a result of U.S. Tax Reform, EEP adjusted its 2018 DCF guidance range to $720 million – $770 million from $775 million – $825 million and 2018 total distribution coverage to approximately 1.15x from approximately 1.2x.

On a combined basis, the impact of these 2018 Guidance adjustments would be to reduce mid-point 2018 DCF guidance by approximately 15.6%, eliminate the approximate 20% cushion on 2018 total distribution coverage (or, stated differently, to increase EEP’s payout ratio to 100% from 80%) and, in the absence of corrective measures, significantly weaken EEP’s key credit metrics. This would eliminate a significant portion of the remaining cushion currently embedded in EEP’s ratings. Please see DBRS’s rating report on EEP dated September 29, 2017, for further information.

This commentary has been picked up by the Financial Post:

Credit ratings agency DBRS Ltd. is warning that one of Enbridge Inc. subsidiary’s revenues could tumble by $100 million this year and its credit ratings hurt by new policies in the U.S., which have led to a sector-wide stock selloff.

DBRS said in a note Tuesday that said a recent decision by the U.S. Federal Regulatory Commission could “significantly weaken” the key credit metrics of Enbridge Energy Partners L.P. (EEP), a subsidiary of Calgary-based Enbridge.

Last week, the FERC announced that master limited partnerships (MLPs) — a tax-friendly corporate structure popular with pipeline firms — would no longer be able to recover an income tax allowance in certain pipeline service contracts.

… which printed a Canadian Press story on last week’s damage to the common after the ruling was announced:

Shares in Canadian pipeline companies Enbridge Inc. and TransCanada Corp. failed to recover fully Friday [March 16] from a steep sell-off on Thursday [March 15] after the U.S. said it would eliminate a tax break for owners of certain interstate pipelines.

Both Calgary-based companies hold such pipelines in the United States through master limited partnerships or MLPs.

The decision by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to no longer allow MLPs to recover an income tax allowance from cost of service tariffs came in response to a 2016 court ruling that found its long-standing tax policy could result in double recovery of costs.

Enbridge shares fell by 4.2 per cent to $41.06 on Thursday but recovered to close at $41.28 on Friday, up 22 cents, after it issued a statement that says it is not expecting a “material change” to its financial guidance over the next three years because of the FERC ruling.

The Globe also printed the CP story, and published three different perspectives on ENB common following the drop:

Enbridge Inc. shares skidded 4.2 per cent Thursday, adding to the frustration of shareholders who have seen more than a quarter of the company’s market capitalization wiped out in just the past year.

Investors have been worried about Enbridge’s high debt load – which sits at around $60-billion after the $37-billion acquisition of Spectra Energy Corp. that closed last year. The stock has also been pressured by a move out of dividend-paying stocks in a rising interest rate environment.
…
The Globe and Mail earlier this month talked to three portfolio managers with different views of Enbridge, as well as with the company about investors’ concerns.

ENB.PR.H (to pick one of their issues at random) has significantly underperformed the TXPR index in the past while:

Click for Big

The fall in ENB preferreds generally has attracted comment on PrefBlog.

This is significant, because Enbridge’s issuance frenzy of about five years ago made them a very significant part of the market … they have about $7.25-billion (face value) of preferreds outstanding (including USD issues), call it about $5.8-billion market value, compared to a total estimated market capitalization of $76.1-billion. Their issues have a weight of just under 10% of the BMO-CM “50” Preferred Share Index (as of February, 2018) and just under 9% of TXPR (as of 2017-7-31).

Affected issues are (deep breath): ENB.PF.A, ENB.PF.C, ENB.PF.E, ENB.PF.G, ENB.PF.I, ENB.PF.K, ENB.PR.A, ENB.PR.B, ENB.PR.C, ENB.PR.D, ENB.PR.F, ENB.PR.H, ENB.PR.J, ENB.PR.N, ENB.PR.P, ENB.PR.T, ENB.PR.Y and the USD-denominated issues, ENB.PR.U, ENB.PR.V, ENB.PF.U and ENB.PF.V.