A Hard-Fought Battle to Defend Par Value: STRC Drifts Further Away from $100
STRC, the dividend-paying stock issued by Michael Saylor's bitcoin reserve firm Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), is trading far below its intended $100 par value, closing recently at $80.84. With a key dividend snapshot date approaching, Saylor aims to pull the price back to $100, as per SEC filings stating the company's goal to stabilize the stock near that level.
The situation is complicated by the June volume-weighted average price (VWAP) falling below $95, triggering an internal rule that mandates the next dividend increase to be at least double the standard 0.25% per cycle, potentially pushing the annualized dividend yield to 12%. However, attracting buyers with this higher yield faces challenges: the payout is spread over 24 bi-monthly installments, the board can alter or suspend dividends at any time, and there is no guarantee against further price declines.
Beyond raising dividends, Strategy has limited tools to boost the stock. These include direct share buybacks (never utilized), halting new share issuances above $100 (which currently cap the price), selling ordinary MSTR shares to build a cash buffer for dividends (with limited effect so far), or announcing special shareholder benefits. Historically, STRC has reclaimed the $100 mark, such as in October last year, driven by a combination of dividend fulfillment, a rate hike, and a pause in share sales. The core question remains how much cost and effort Strategy is willing to bear to attract the necessary buying pressure to restore the $100 par value.
Foresight News06/25 08:00
