Benzinga | Nov 18, 2020 10:11AM EST

Understanding Western Asset Emg Markets's Ex-Dividend Date

On August 19, 2020, Western Asset Emg Markets (NYSE: EMD) declared a dividend payable on December 1, 2020 to its shareholders. Western Asset Emg Markets also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before November 20, 2020 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 Western Asset Emg Markets is set for November 19, 2020. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.1, equating to a dividend yield of 8.58% 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. Most ex-dividend dates operate on a quarterly basis.

Understanding Western Asset Emg Markets's Dividend Payouts And Yields

Over the past year, Western Asset Emg Markets has seen its dividend payouts and yields descend downward overall. Last year on July 23, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.1, which has since decreased by $0.01. Western Asset Emg Markets's dividend yield last year was 10.56%, which has since declined by 1.98%.

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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