On August 13, 2021, Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on September 1, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. The ex-dividend date for Warner Music Group is set for August 24, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.15, equating to a dividend yield of 1.72% 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. Typically, companies will announce and implement new dividend yields on a quarterly basis.

Over the past year, Warner Music Group has experienced an overall upward trend regarding its dividend payouts and yields. Last year on August 24, 2020 the company's payout was $0.12, which has since grown by $0.03. Similarly, Warner Music Group's dividend yield in last year was 1.62%, which has since grown by 0.1%.
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.