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- 28 October 2008
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The prospects of BBI and hence BEPPA restoring distributions has been priced by the market as being very low.Has anyone considered BEPPA rather than BBI? If BBI survives, each BEPPA will convert to about 1.075 BBI in 2012. Today BBI closed at $0.077 and BEPPA at $0.11. However, though the dividend is suspended for both BBI and BEPPA, BEPPA dividends are cumulative and must be paid before BBI dividends are paid. This means that should dividends be restored in 2010 as CommSec forecast, BEPPA shareholders will be entitled to all the missed dividends (Q4 2008, all 2009 and whatever missed quarters are in 2010). Their quarterly dividends so far in 2008 have each been slightly above 2 cents (about 8.4% p.a. on $1 face value) and are calculated using some fixed percentage over some bank rate (I don't have details to hand). So even allowing for an overall 2.5% fall in the underlying bank rate over the next 18 months compared to early 2008, that would imply missed quarterly dividends of about 1.5 cents each. If 7 quarters are missed, then the first new distribution in Q3 2010 will be 12 cents per share (8 X 1.5 cents). That is more than today's closing price. Additionally, BEPPA ranks ahead of BBI in the event of bankruptcy.
Any thoughts?