how does the ex dividend date help investors 
if an investing strategy is focused on income knowing when the ex date occurs helps investors plan their trade entries however because the stock s price drops by about the same value as the dividend buying a stock right before the ex date shouldn t result in any profits the same applies if investors buy on or after the ex date and get a discount for the dividend they won t receive the bottom linethe ex dividend date is one of four steps a company follows when paying dividends the declaration date is when a company states its plans to issue a dividend the record date is when the company determines which shareholders are entitled to a dividend the ex dividend date is usually the day before the record date the payment date is the day when dividend payments are made correction nov 28 2023 this article has been corrected to state the date when a new buyer would be entitled to a dividend 