Ex-Dividend Date Insight: Southwest Gas Holdings

On November 18, 2020, Southwest Gas Holdings SWX declared a dividend payable on March 1, 2021 to its shareholders. Southwest Gas Holdings also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before February 16, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 2 business day(s) before the record date. Southwest Gas Holdings, whose current dividend payout is $0.57, has an ex-dividend date set at February 12, 2021. The payout equates to a dividend yield of 3.27% at current price levels.

The Significance Of Ex-Dividend Dates

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.

Southwest Gas Holdings's Dividend History

Over the past year, Southwest Gas Holdings has experienced an overall upward trend regarding its dividend payouts and yields. Last year on February 14, 2020 the company's payout was $0.55, which has since grown by $0.02. Similarly, Southwest Gas Holdings's dividend yield in last year was 2.86%, which has since grown by 0.41%.
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.

Click here to find details on Southwest Gas Holdings's previous dividends.