Benzinga | Apr 19, 2021 10:18AM EDT

Analyzing Zoetis's Ex-Dividend Date

On February 10, 2021, Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) declared a dividend payable on June 1, 2021 to its shareholders. Zoetis also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before April 21, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Zoetis has an ex-dividend date planned for April 20, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.25. That equates to a dividend yield of 0.63% 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.

Zoetis's Dividend Performance

Over the past year, Zoetis has seen its dividend payouts and yields climb upward overall. Last year (April 16, 2020), the company's payout sat at $0.2, which has since increased by $0.05. Zoetis's dividend yield last year was 0.56%, which has since grown by 0.07%.

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 Zoetis's previous dividends.