Notable Stocks Trading Ex-Dividend Thursday, August 4

It’s critical to know whether a stock you plan on buying has an ex-dividend status, because in case it does, the dividend would be paid out to the seller. The person who owns the stock on the ex-dividend date will be awarded the payment, which means that you’ll have to wait for the next dividend cycle to receive your first dividend payout from the company.

On the other hand, share prices typically decline just after the ex-dividend date is declared, and usually by an amount equal to the expected dividend. So, this may give you the opportunity to identify a good entry point. If you’re planning on selling shares on or after the ex-dividend date, you'll receive the dividend payout from the company.

Here is the list of stocks going ex-dividend on August 4, 2016.

• Apple Inc. AAPL - $0.5700 dividend, 2.3585 percent yield
• Metlife Inc MET - $0.4000 dividend, 4.1808 percent yield
• Norfolk Southern Corp. NSC - $0.5900 dividend, 2.6216 percent yield
• Baker Hughes Incorporated BHI - $0.1700 dividend, 1.5271 percent yield
• Capital One Financial Corp. COF - $0.4000 dividend, 2.3561 percent yield
• Energy Transfer Equity LP ETE - $0.2850 dividend, 6.9301 percent yield
• Papa John's Int'l, Inc. PZZA - $0.2000 dividend, 1.0862 percent yield
• HCP, Inc. HCP - $0.5750 dividend, 5.8944 percent yield
• W W Grainger Inc GWW - $1.2200 dividend, 2.2235 percent yield
• Petmed Express Inc PETS - $0.1900 dividend, 3.8776 percent yield