Benzinga | Jan 28, 2021 10:15AM EST

Ex-Dividend Date Insight: NRG Energy

On January 21, 2021, NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) declared a dividend payable on February 16, 2021 to its shareholders. NRG Energy also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before February 1, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. The ex-dividend date for NRG Energy will be on January 29, 2021. The company's current dividend payout is at $0.33. That equates to a dividend yield of 3.2% at current price levels.

What Are Ex-Dividend Dates?

Ex-dividend dates are when company shares stop trading with their current dividend payouts in preparation for those companies to announce new ones. Usually, a company's ex-dividend date falls one business day before its record date. Investors should keep this in mind when purchasing stocks because buying them on or after ex-dividend dates does not qualify them to receive the declared payment. Newly declared dividends go to shareholders who have owned that stock before the ex-dividend date. Typically, companies will announce and implement new dividend yields on a quarterly basis.

Understanding NRG Energy's Dividend History

Over the past year, NRG Energy has experienced an overall upward trend regarding its dividend payouts and yields. Last year on January 31, 2020 the company's payout was $0.3, which has since grown by $0.03. Similarly, NRG Energy's dividend yield in last year was 3.11%, which has since grown by 0.09%.

Companies use dividend yields in different strategic ways. Some companies may opt to not give yields altogether to reinvest in themselves. Other companies may opt to increase or decrease their yield amounts to control how their shares circulate throughout the stock market.

Click here to find details on NRG Energy's previous dividends.