Exchange Traded Debt Securities (ETDS) are extremely similar to preferreds stocks - so much so that your broker may actually label them as such. Most ETDS pay quarterly, have a $25 par value, are callable five years after introduction and offer about the same return as preferred stocks. And just as the dividends paid by high quality preferred stocks[1] are classified as interest income, so is that paid by ETDS.
But ETDS are recorded on the company's books as debt rather than equity because they are actually bonds; bonds that trade on the stock exchange under a unique trading symbol just like preferred stocks, rather than the bond market.
Similar Return
There are currently 120 ETDS trading on U.S. stock exchanges, 90 of these on the New York Stock Exchange. While NYSE-traded preferred stocks are currently offering an annual dividend yield of 7.1%, the 90 NYSE-traded ETDS issues are currently offering a 6.8% yield.
Lower Risk
As a group, ETDS have stronger ratings than preferred stocks due to their senior standing. Just as preferred stock shareholders have payment priority over the same company's common stock shareholders, bondholders rank higher than preferred shareholders. So, as bonds, ETDS offer a very similar return but with lower investment risk than the same company's preferred stocks[3].
Limiting the universe to just the highest quality issues that most risk-averse preferred stock investors seek, the average annual dividend yield from high quality preferreds is 6.9% compared to a very similar 6.7% for high quality ETDS issues[2].