Benzinga | Feb 10, 2021 10:48AM EST

Understanding Ritchie Bros Auctioneers's Ex-Dividend Date

On January 25, 2021, Ritchie Bros Auctioneers (NYSE:RBA) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on March 5, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Ritchie Bros Auctioneers has an ex-dividend date set for for February 11, 2021. The company's current dividend payout is $0.22, which equates to a dividend yield of 1.4% at current price levels.

What Is An Ex-Dividend Date?

Ex-dividend dates signal when company shares cease to trade with their current dividend payouts. There is a small intermission period before companies announce new dividends. 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. Most ex-dividend dates operate on a quarterly basis.

Ritchie Bros Auctioneers's Dividend History

Over the past year, Ritchie Bros Auctioneers has seen its dividend payouts climb upward and its yields trend downward. Last year on February 13, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.2, which has since increased by $0.02. Ritchie Bros Auctioneers's dividend yield last year was 1.84%, which has since decreased by 0.44%.

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 Ritchie Bros Auctioneers's previous dividends.