Understanding Comcast's Ex-Dividend Date

On May 25, 2021, Comcast CMCSA announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on July 28, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Comcast, which has a current dividend per share of $0.25, has an ex-dividend date scheduled for July 6, 2021. That equates to a dividend yield of 1.8% at current price levels.

The Significance Of An Ex-Dividend Date

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

Understanding Comcast's Dividend History

Over the past year, Comcast has experienced an overall upward trend regarding its dividend payouts and a downward trend regarding its yields. Last year on June 30, 2020 the company's payout was $0.23, which has since grown by $0.02. Comcast's dividend yield last year was 2.6%, which has since decreased by 0.8%.
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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