Dividend Calendar

A dividend is a cash payment a company sends to its shareholders, usually from its profits. If you own the stock on the right date, the company pays you a set amount per share, for example $0.50 per share four times a year. It is a way to earn income from a stock without selling it.

The ex-dividend date is the cutoff. To receive a dividend you must own the shares before the ex-dividend date. If you buy on or after the ex-date, the seller gets that dividend, not you.

You need to buy in time to own the shares before the ex-dividend date. The buy-by date shown here is the last trading day you can buy and still qualify. Buy on the ex-date and you miss this payment, which is exactly why this calendar only shows dividends you can still buy in time for.

Four dates: (1) Declaration date, the company announces the dividend. (2) Ex-dividend date, own before this to qualify. (3) Record date, the company checks its books for shareholders of record, one business day after the ex-date. (4) Pay date, the cash lands in your brokerage account, often a couple of weeks later.

Two common approaches. Income investing: buy quality dividend stocks and hold them, collecting the cash each quarter (many reinvest it automatically with a DRIP to compound). Dividend capture: buy before the ex-date, qualify for the payout, then sell, but note the share price typically drops by about the dividend amount on the ex-date, so this is not free money. Either way, own before the ex-date.

Dividend yield is the annual dividend as a percentage of the share price. $1.00 a year at a $25 price is a 4% yield. Broad-market blue chips often yield 1.5-4%; anything far above ~8% is worth a closer look, as very high yields can signal a payout at risk of being cut. The forward yield here annualizes the current payout by its frequency.

Most US companies pay quarterly (four times a year). Some pay monthly, great for steady income and easy to find with the “Monthly income” view above. A few pay semi-annually or annually. Each row shows the frequency.

Use the “Consistent payers” view for companies that have paid a dividend for at least 5 straight years (marked with a 🏆 streak badge), and the “Dividend growers” view for names whose payout has been rising over time (marked “Grower”). For income you can rely on, those two lists are the place to start, then open any ticker’s chart to review its full history before buying.

The record date is when the company checks its books for shareholders of record (it follows the ex-date). The pay date is when the cash actually lands in your account, often a few weeks later.

Yes, the dividend calendar is free to view. A free account plus premium unlocks the full live scanners, alerts, watchlists and price alerts across the site.