On April 29, 2021, Robert Half International (NYSE:RHI) declared a dividend payable on June 15, 2021 to its shareholders. Robert Half International also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before May 25, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. The ex-dividend date for Robert Half International is set for May 24, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.38, equating to a dividend yield of 1.73% at current price levels.

An ex-dividend date signals when a company's shares cease to trade with its current dividend payout. There is a small intermission period before the company announces a new dividend. 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, Robert Half International has experienced an overall upward trend regarding its dividend payouts and a downward trend regarding its yields. Last year on May 22, 2020 the company's payout was $0.34, which has since grown by $0.04. Robert Half International's dividend yield last year was 2.82%, which has since decreased by 1.09%.
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.