Dual-Class Shares Unloved But Don’t Write Them Off Too Quickly

By and large, dual-class shares are unloved by investors and PF bloggers because the structure creates a double standard that gives one class of investors unfair voting power over another. ThickenMyWallet recently wrote a post on dual-class shares titled “You're a fool if you buy...“:

The primary disadvantage of a company with a dual-class share structure is there are no effective checks and balances to management excesses such as excessive executive compensation... The larger issue is that companies with dual-class structures tend to be poorer performing stocks than their single-class structure counterparts (ask someone who invested in shares of Ford).

Yesterday, The Dividend Guy followed up with “Dual-class shares suck“:

From a statistical perspective, it would be better to hold the single-class stock in the industry you are looking at, compared to the dual-class company.

Both bloggers singled out controlling shareholder, Conrad Black, whose extravagant lifestyle single-handedly brought Hollinger International down to its knees. While both bloggers put forth rationales with strong merits, ThickenMyWallet did offer a glimpse of hope suggesting good stocks do exist in the dual-class structure.

Admittedly, I haven't paid much attention to dual-class structure although I may have to adjust my stock selection process. So far in my endeavor, I've found no reasons to shy away from *all* dual-class stocks even though the door is open for management to act in their personal interests. My view is that result should speak louder than share structure, so I tend to stick with management with a strong track record of delivering excellence.

There are many profitable dual-class Canadian stocks with smoking-hot cashflow, and management teams aren't afraid to share the wealth with generous dividend policies. Reitmans, for example, is a debt-free high quality retailer with a long history of dividend increases. Another one is Teck Cominco which hiked their dividend 10-fold since 2004. AGF Financial also recently boosted their payout by 25%. All three stocks have so much money, at least 3 years worth of dividend is parked in cash or cash equivalents.

Perhaps dual-class structures do raise some eyebrows, but a meticulous screening process should weed out the looters.