Stock shock

Question: I recently purchased a stock that had a p/e ratio of less than 10 and with a dividend of 28c every quarter. I felt reasonably comfortable with the stock until I discovered that the company had suspended paying dividends (which was the real reason why I purchased the stock) when reading its annual report. Surprised! You bet I was. So here is my question: When a dividend payment has been suspended, where do I find this information, or how does a company have to announce it? – J.A.

Answer:

That’s very unfortunate. However, it speaks to the point of doing careful research before you buy a stock.Start with your broker. Ask so see any research reports on the company – they will contain this kind of information. If you are not using a broker that provides research or that covers the stock, go to the company’s Web site and check out their press releases.

There should be an announcement there. If they don’t have a Web site or you aren’t convinced the information on it is helpful, go to www.sedar.com. It is the central repository for all information on public companies in Canada. You can also find this kind of corporate information on a number of otr sites, such as Globeinvestor.com – G.P.