Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities & Income Fund

PTA

Market cap $1.1B

Cohen & Steers Tax-adv Prd Sec and Inc offers a 7.95% yield, outperforming preferred stock indices but lagging some peer closed-end funds on income. The PTA fund's high duration and exposure to inflation risk make it less attractive than shorter-duration peers, especially in today's macro environment. PTA is trading at a 3.25% discount to NAV, but this is narrower than its historical average, so waiting for a wider discount may be prudent.

PTA offers an attractive 8.2% yield through monthly distributions, but its narrow discount keeps it at a 'Hold' for now. The fund has outperformed benchmarks since inception; however, it was in an asset class that hasn't seen strong results. Interest rate swaps have helped offset rising borrowing costs for the fund, but future rate cuts are looking limited, so we could see borrowing cost pressures.

The Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund offers an 8.14% yield, higher than most fixed-income indices, making it attractive for income-seeking investors. Despite recent market turbulence, the fund has maintained its distribution and outperformed the preferred stock index, showcasing its resilience and effective management. The fund's cash position appears to have increased, which could be costing it some investment income versus keeping the money invested in preferred stocks.

Since our last update, PTA's discount to NAV has widened, making it a more appealing investment for those seeking exposure to preferred and income-generating securities. The fund's recent pullback is the result of the overall greater volatility and the greater sensitivity that PTA has to interest rate changes, both long and short-term rates. PTA's investment policy has seen a change since our prior update that is effective in early 2025, but it remains to be seen how significant this might alter the fund.

Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund provides investors exposure to a portfolio of preferred and other income-focused securities. PTA looks better in a lower-rate environment, and we've already seen the fund recovering meaningfully from its lows last year; total returns were helped even further by the discount narrowing. The fund provides investors with an attractive ~7.7% distribution rate and should see income coverage improve as the Fed cuts rates.

The Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund offers a 7.68% yield, higher than the major fixed-income indices, which provides substantial income for investors. Despite a 16.77% decline in share price over three years, the fund's large distributions significantly boost total returns, showing the power of high yields. The fund's cash holdings fell significantly after October of last year, suggesting that it bought into the rally in preferred stock.

June was another month where we saw broader equities hitting new all-time highs. However, that participation was rather narrow as the mega-cap tech names led the way higher. This last month, I added to or initiated positions in five different closed-end fund names; I sold out of two positions this month.

Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund and Flaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund have been performing well as rates have stabalized. PTA has outperformed FLC in terms of total NAV and share price returns over the last three years thanks partly to being hedged. Both funds are leveraged and may benefit from future rate cuts, but it is FLC that could potentially see the greater rebound.

The Cohen & Steers Tax-adv Prd Sec and Inc. has a current yield of 8.78%, which is lower than some of its peers. The PTA closed-end fund's recent share price performance has been underwhelming, with a decline of 0.97% since the previous article was published.

Cohen & Steers Tax-Advantaged Preferred Securities and Income Fund remains an attractive place to invest in the preferred space. The fund has experienced volatility due to leverage and exposure to convertible contingency securities, but its total NAV returns have held up well. PTA's distribution yield is 8.73%, but NII coverage is low and capital gains have not fully offset the decline in net investment income.