3 Dates to Remember if You Want A Cash Dividend - ACap Advisors & Accountants (2024)

We all have important dates to remember in our lives such as birthdays and anniversaries. 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. Most investors buy stocks only for their cash dividends, this is especially true now because interest rates are so low and investors are hungry for yield. However, the next time you decide to buy a stock for its dividend, keep the following three dates in mind to ensure you get the cash you deserve.

Date of Declaration
The date of declaration is when the company’s board of directors announces their intention to pay a cash dividend. Once declared, the company incurs a liability on their books to reflect the proposed dividend to shareholders. At the same meeting, the board of directors also announces the date of record and date of payment.

Date of Record (and ex-dividend date)
The date of record is how the company determines which shareholders are entitled to the dividend. A company maintains a record of all their shareholders, unless the shares are held in street-name. Street-name means you own your shares through a brokerage account. In such cases, the company pays the broker and the broker deposits the cash dividend in your account. The ex-dividend date is two days before the date of record. Investors who own the stock before the ex-dividend date are entitled to the dividend whereas investors who buy the stock on or after the ex-dividend date will not receive the dividend. As a result, the value of the stock declines on the ex-dividend date because the stock trades without the right to the dividend and the value of the company decreases because the dividend no longer belongs to the company.

Date of Payment
This is the last date to remember for dividends because the date of payment is when you actually receives the cash dividend.

Sometimes companies pay large special dividends (such as Microsoft in 2004) because they have excess cash on their books and they want to distribute it to shareholders. You could potentially miss out on a cash dividend if you do not pay attention to the three key dates mentioned above. Most importantly, don’t buy a stock just for its dividend. Dividend paying companies are usually mature companies that can no longer reinvest their profitsinto the business to earn a sufficient return required by their shareholders. You should have a diversified portfolio that includes both dividend and growth oriented companies.

Have a financial question? Contact ACap Asset Management atinfo@acapam.comor 818-272-8511.

Ara Oghoorian, CFA, CFP® is the president and founder of ACap Asset Management, Inc., a “Fee-Only” investment management firm headquartedin Los Angeles, CA specializing in helping doctors and healthcare professionalsmake sound financial decisions. Visit us atwww.acapam.com

3 Dates to Remember if You Want A Cash Dividend - ACap Advisors & Accountants (2024)

FAQs

3 Dates to Remember if You Want A Cash Dividend - ACap Advisors & Accountants? ›

We all have important dates to remember in our lives such as birthdays and anniversaries. 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.

What are the dates to remember for dividends? ›

There are four dates to know when it comes to companies' dividends: the declaration date, the ex-dividend date, the record date, and the payable date. On the ex-dividend date, stock prices typically decline by the amount of the dividend.

What are the important dates to be considered when a cash dividend is declared? ›

To determine whether you should get a dividend, you need to look at two important dates. They are the "record date" or "date of record" and the "ex-dividend date" or "ex-date." When a company declares a dividend, it sets a record date when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend.

What are the three conditions for a cash dividend? ›

They are payouts of retained earnings, which is accumulated profit. Therefore, cash dividends reduce both the Retained Earnings and Cash account balances. There are three prerequisites to paying a cash dividend: a decision by the board of directors, sufficient cash, and sufficient retained earnings.

Which date related to cash dividends will require a journal entry? ›

On the day the board of directors votes to declare a cash dividend, a journal entry is required to record the declaration as a liability.

What are the three dates for cash dividends? ›

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.

What are the three key dates for dividends? ›

There are three important dates involved with the process of a company paying a dividend: the declaration date, the ex-dividend date, and the record date.

What is the dividend date rule? ›

The ex-dividend date marks a pivotal moment for investors, signalling the deadline for purchasing shares to qualify for dividend payments. Typically set two trading days before the record date, this date ensures that shareholders acquire shares before the record date to be eligible for dividends.

Can I sell on an ex-dividend date and still get dividend? ›

The ex-dividend date is the first day of trading in which new shareholders don't have rights to the next dividend disbursem*nt. However, if shareholders continue to hold their stock, they may qualify for the next dividend. If shares are sold on or after the ex-dividend date, they will still receive the dividend.

In what order do the three relevant dates for dividends occur? ›

Answer and Explanation:

The three significant cash dividend dates are (in order) the dates of c) declaration, record, and distribution. The board meets and determines whether or not to declare a dividend from the previous quarter and how much should be issued to each share.

What is the rule 3 of dividend rules? ›

Rule 3 of Dividend Rules prescribes the conditions to be complied with for declaring dividend out of reserves. A pertinent question here is – whether a company can declare dividend out of 100% of the amount that has been transferred to General Reserve.

What is the 3 dividend model? ›

Modigliani and Miller's dividend irrelevancy theory.
  • The dividend valuation model. This states that the value of a company's shares is sustained by the expectation of future dividends. ...
  • The Gordon growth model. This model examines the cause of dividend growth. ...
  • Modigliani and Miller's dividend irrelevancy theory.

What is the date of dividends in accounting? ›

A dividend payment date is the scheduled day on which a company distributes profits to its shareholders in the form of dividends. On this date, eligible investors receive their share of the declared dividend as long as they are included on the record.

What are the three major dates associated with dividends and the journal entries that would be created on those dates? ›

The three key dates for dividend are: Date of Declaration - this is the date of dividend announcement made by the board of directors. Date of Record (and ex-dividend date) - ex-dividend date is the date before which the shareholders must own stock so that they are entitled for dividend.

Which date does not require a journal entry for dividends? ›

Answer and Explanation:

Answer: c) Date of record. No journal entry is required at the date of record.

On which dates are journal entries made to record cash dividend transactions? ›

Date of payment.

Because financial transactions occur on both the date of declaration (a liability is incurred) and on the date of payment (cash is paid), journal entries record the transactions on both of these dates. No journal entry is required on the date of record.

What are the dates relevant to the accounting for dividends? ›

What are the Important Dividend Dates?
  • Declaration Date. The declaration date is the date on which the board of directors announces and approves the payment of a dividend. ...
  • Ex-Dividend Date. The ex-dividend date is the first day that a stock trades without a dividend. ...
  • Record Date. ...
  • Payment Date.

What should be the record date for dividend? ›

Record date, also known as the cut-off date, is the specific day on which a company finalises the list of shareholders eligible for its forthcoming dividend distribution. An organisation whose stocks are actively traded in the stock market expects to see a constant flux in the list of shareholders.

What do the different dates mean for dividends? ›

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.

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