Benzinga | Jan 6, 2021 10:20AM EST

Analyzing Darden Restaurants's Ex-Dividend Date

On December 18, 2020, Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on February 1, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Darden Restaurants has an ex-dividend date planned for January 7, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.37. That equates to a dividend yield of 1.25% at current price levels.

The Significance Of An Ex-Dividend Date

An ex-dividend date is when a company's shares stop trading with its current dividend payout in preparation for the company to announce a new one. 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 Darden Restaurants's Dividend Performance

Over the past year, Darden Restaurants has seen its dividend payouts and yields descend downward overall. Last year on July 9, 2019 the company's payout sat at $0.88, which has since decreased by $0.51. Darden Restaurants's dividend yield last year was 2.98%, which has since declined by 1.73%.

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.

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