Fairfax Financial, Rogers, Royal Bank: Canadian Equity Preview

By Elizabeth Stanton

Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of the following companies may have unusual fluctuations in Canadian trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses.

The Standard & Poor’s/TSX Composite Index yesterday rose 0.6 percent to 9,285.51, the highest since Nov. 13. The main benchmark for Canadian stocks fell 35 percent in 2008, its steepest annual drop since 1931.

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH CN): The owner of Canadian and U.S. insurers declared an annual dividend of $8 a share, compared with $5 last year. Dividends are influenced by the company’s current operating results and cash position and aren’t indicative of future payouts, the company said in a statement on Market Wire. The shares fell C$16.47 to C$363.03 in regular trading yesterday.

Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B CN): Canada’s largest mobile-phone carrier said it added 199,000 wireless subscribers in the fourth quarter. The company activated about 130,000 iPhone 3G devices during the quarter, according to a statement on PR Newswire. The shares fell 26 cents to C$37.19 yesterday.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY CN): The country’s largest bank agreed to sell C$200 million ($168 million) of preferred shares to boost regulatory capital. Royal Bank will issue 8 million shares at C$25 per share, with an initial annual dividend of 6.25 percent, the Toronto-based bank said today in a Canada NewsWire release. The shares rose 26 cents to $37.21 yesterday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Stanton in New York at estanton@bloomberg.net