how to find out about future special dividend dates and yield

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27th Nov '19 by stressor

9 comments 919 reads

Hi, I am trying to research how to find out in advance about special dividends in FTSE companies. There seems to be plenty of information about normal dividends but specials seem to be shrouded in mystery! Are these announced with normal dividends? is there a published list of upcoming special dividend yields and ex-dividend dates which includes specials? Apologies but I am not really sure how to research future special dividends and hence take them into account in my investing strategy. thanks for any advice!

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Stressor

Premium Member

9 comments

smegster

28th Nov '19

You can use
https://www.sharecast.com/company_diary

It has information on upcoming final dividends, interim dividends and special dividend dates.

jjis

28th Nov '19

They are announced on an ad-hoc basis with results so you can't really screen for them in advance.

This site is quite useful for details on dividends & here's a link where they detailed Dunelms recent 32p special although they don't identify it as such - https://www.dividenddata.co.uk...

Meanwhile Hays for example also paid a special in November, but this was included with their ordinary dividend too, making it impossible to identify unless you know about it.

So bottom line is you have to mostly watch out for them in announcements unless nay one else knows a source which details them?

stressor

28th Nov '19

thank you these are both good links and a great start to help me looking into specials

fwyburd

28th Nov '19

I have a related question.
On the day a stock goes ex-dividend, do you qualify for the dividend if you sell your shares on that day or do you need to hold through to the market close? Or put another way, do you only have to hold up to the market close of the day before it goes ex-divi?
cheers
Francis

ISAallowance

28th Nov '19

Hi fwyburd,

Yes, you qualify for the dividend if you hold them at the open on the ex-div day (always a Thursday in the UK), and can sell them that day and still receive the div. Typically they will be marked down by the amount of the div at the open, but not always depending on the stock and the market on the day.

fwyburd

28th Nov '19

Many thanks ISA. So what is to stop people buying on the day of the ex-divi date and benefiting both from the yield and the fall in the price? Perhaps I am answering my own question...
cheers
Francis

john2

28th Nov '19

You do not qualify for the dividend if you hold a share at open on the ex-div day. You qualify if you hold it at close of trade on the day before the ex-div day.

fwyburd

28th Nov '19

Brilliant, thank you John2, very helpful.
cheers
Francis

smegster

29th Nov '19

Investigate is a excellent site for company RNS's, you can do a keyword search for "special dividends".

https://www.investegate.co.uk/Index.aspx?searchtype=1&words=special+dividend

Good luck!

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how to find out about future special dividend dates and yield

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Stressor

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