On October 22, 2020, East West Bancorp (NASDAQ: EWBC) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on November 16, 2020. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. East West Bancorp, which has a current dividend payout of $0.28, has an ex-dividend date scheduled for October 30, 2020. That equates to a dividend yield of 2.87% at current price levels.

Ex-dividend dates are when company shares stop trading with their current dividend payouts in preparation for those companies to announce new ones. 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.

Over the past year, East West Bancorp has seen its dividend payouts remain the same and its yields climb upward overall. Last year on October 31, 2019 the company's payout sat at $0.28, which has returned to its value today. East West Bancorp's dividend yield last year was 2.52%, which has since grown by 0.35%.
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.