Ex-Dividend: Meaning and Date (2024)

FAQs

Is it good to buy stock on an ex-dividend date? ›

If you buy stocks one day or more before their ex-dividend date, you will still get the dividend. That's when a stock is said to trade cum-dividend, or with dividend. If you buy on the ex-dividend date or later, you won't get the dividend. The ex-dividend date is in place to allow pending stock trades to settle.

Another important note to consider: as long as you purchase a stock prior to the ex-dividend date, you can then sell the stock any time on or after the ex-dividend date and still receive the dividend. A common misconception is that investors need to hold the stock through the record date or pay date.

The ex-dividend date is when the stock begins trading without the subsequent dividend value. Investors who purchase stock before the ex-dividend date are entitled to the next dividend payment while those who purchase stock on or after the ex-dividend date are not.

The ex-dividend date for stocks is usually set one business day before the record date. If you purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after, you will not receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the seller gets the dividend. If you purchase before the ex-dividend date, you get the dividend.

The value of a share of stock goes down by about the dividend amount when the stock goes ex-dividend. Investors who own mutual funds, stocks, and other securities should find out the ex-dividend date for those investments and evaluate how the distribution will affect their tax bill.

For most people, it is not rational to time delay their share sale to capture a dividend. There are some minor tax consideration, but these will not be material for most people with relatively small shareholdings. Bottom line – if you want to sell your shares, sell them!

If you buy a stock one day before the ex-dividend, you will get the dividend. If you buy on the ex-dividend date or any day after, you won't get the dividend. Conversely, if you want to sell a stock and still get a dividend that has been declared, you need to hang onto it until the ex-dividend day.

If you own the stock at the end of the trading day before the ex-dividend date, you will receive its next payout. On the other hand, if you buy a stock on its ex-dividend date, the person who owned the stock at the end of the previous trading day will be the one who receives the payout.

Basically, an investor or trader purchases shares of the stock before the ex-dividend date and sells the shares on the ex-dividend date or any time thereafter. If the share price does fall after the dividend announcement, the investor may wait until the price bounces back to its original value.

When the underlying stock goes ex-dividend, call options will decline and put options will increase in value as the stock price reflects the dividend to be paid.

Will I get bonus shares if I buy on an ex-date? ›

However, to qualify for bonus shares, the company stocks must be bought before the ex-date. Any stocks bought on the ex-date shall not be eligible for an issue of bonus shares as the ownership of the stocks cannot be gained by the investor before the record date.

The ex-dividend date is the first day the stock trades without its dividend, thus ex-dividend. If you want to get the dividend payment, you need to own the stock by this day. That means you have to buy before the end of the day before the ex-dividend date to get the next dividend.

The dividend capture strategy can be successful even if the investor has limited investment funds. Admittedly, long-term dividend growth investing can take years, if not decades, and large amounts of capital to be successful.

If you hold a stock for one year or longer, your gain will be taxed at the long-term capital gains tax rate. But if you hold a stock for less than one year before selling it, your gain will typically be taxed at your ordinary income tax rate.

If you believe a company will post strong earnings and expect the stock to rise after the announcement, you could purchase the stock beforehand. Conversely, if you believe a company will post disappointing earnings and expect the stock to decline after the announcement, you could short the stock.

When it comes to investing for dividends, there are three key dates that everyone should memorize. The three dates are the date of declaration, date of record, and date of payment.