Analyzing Medifast's Ex-Dividend Date

Medifast MED declared a dividend payable on May 6, 2021 to its shareholders as of March 19, 2021. It was also announced that shareholders of Medifast's stock as of March 30, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock is expected to become ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Medifast has an ex-dividend date planned for March 29, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $1.42. That equates to a dividend yield of 2.42% at current price levels.

The Significance Of An Ex-Dividend Date

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.

Understanding Medifast's Dividend Payouts And Yields

Over the past year, Medifast has seen its dividend payouts climb upward and its yields trend downward. Last year on March 30, 2020 the company's payout sat at $1.13, which has since increased by $0.29. Medifast's dividend yield last year was 8.7%, which has since decreased by 6.28%.
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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