Ex-Dividend: Meaning and Date (2024)

FAQs

How do you understand the ex-dividend date? ›

The ex-dividend date or "ex-date" is usually one business day before the record date. Investors who purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after will not receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the seller gets the dividend. Investors only get dividends if they buy the stock before the ex-dividend date.

As noted above, the ex-date or ex-dividend date marks the cutoff point for a pending stock dividend. Some trading platforms, market data, and news services might add an XD modifier to the ticker symbol to show it is trading ex-dividend. If you buy a stock one day before the ex-dividend, you will get the dividend.

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.

That's because if an investor buys the stock on or after the ex-dividend date, the investor does not receive the dividend. So, an investor must own the stock before the ex-dividend 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.

Can you sell on the record date and still get the dividend? Yes, you can sell anytime on or after the ex-dividend date and still be eligible for the dividend. All investors who owned stock by the end of the trading session the day before the ex-dividend date will receive the payout.

If you have bought a stock one day before the ex-dividend date, you will be eligible to get the dividend amount. However, if you buy the stock on the ex-dividend date or after the ex-dividend date, you won't be eligible to receive the dividend.

Because investors know they will receive a dividend if they purchase a stock before its ex-dividend date, they are often willing to buy it at a premium. This often causes the price of a stock to increase in the days leading up to its ex-dividend date.

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.

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!

Can you buy a stock just for the dividend and then sell? ›

“Dividend capture strategy” returns are the trading technique of buying a stock just before the dividend is paid, holding it just long enough to collect the dividend, then selling it. If you can sell it for as much as you paid, you have “captured” the dividend at no cost, other than the transaction costs.

Dividend capture can be an effective short-term trading strategy in certain markets, but it's not a plan to gain long-term wealth. Dividend harvesting can provide steady and reliable income without worrying too much about volatile market gyrations or confusing technical analysis.

Think about dividends before investing a large amount

Dividends are announced several days or weeks before they're paid. It could seem like a good idea to buy shares of a stock or fund just in time to get the dividend payment—but in many cases, it's not.

You have to own a stock prior to the ex-dividend date in order to receive the next dividend payment. If you buy a stock on or after the ex-dividend date, you are not entitled to the next paid dividend.

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.

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.