On January 20, 2021, Antero Midstream (NYSE:AM) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on February 11, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Antero Midstream has an ex-dividend date set for for February 2, 2021. The company's current dividend payout is $0.31, which equates to a dividend yield of 14.29% at current price levels.

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. Typically, companies will announce and implement new dividend yields on a quarterly basis.

Over the past year, Antero Midstream has seen its dividend payouts remain the same and its yields trend downward. Last year on January 30, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.31, which has returned to its value today. Antero Midstream's dividend yield last year was 16.6%, which has since decreased by 2.31%.
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.