Buckle up for $2, page-1256

just keep asking.


think about it like this. A company on the 25th February announces their half year profit and announces they will pay 10c a share dividend. It also announces that the ex dividend date is the 5th Mach and payment date is the 29th April. So the share is cum dividend until the 4th March. If I buy the share on or before the 4th I get the dividend and if I sell on the 5th I still get the dividend paid to me on the 29th April.

Conversely, if I sell on or prior to the 4th I won’t get the dividend.

you will often see a share’s price drop on the ex date and for a few days after, as people lock in the dividend and then sell.