Understanding Morningstar's Ex-Dividend Date
On December 4, 2020, Morningstar (NASDAQ:MORN) declared a dividend payable on January 29, 2021 to its shareholders. Morningstar also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before January 4, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 2 business day(s) before the record date. Morningstar has an ex-dividend date planned for December 31, 2020. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.32. That equates to a dividend yield of 0.63% 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. Typically, companies will announce and implement new dividend yields on a quarterly basis.
Understanding Morningstar's Dividend History
Over the past year, Morningstar has seen its dividend payouts climb upward and its yields trend downward. Last year on January 2, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.3, which has since increased by $0.02. Morningstar's dividend yield last year was 0.78%, which has since decreased by 0.15%.
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 Morningstar's previous dividends.
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