Understanding Western Asset High Income's Ex-Dividend Date

On November 17, 2020, Western Asset High Income HIX declared a dividend payable on February 1, 2021 to its shareholders. Western Asset High Income also announced that shareholders on the company's books on or before January 22, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Western Asset High Income has an ex-dividend date planned for January 21, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.05. That equates to a dividend yield of 8.65% at current price levels.

What Is An Ex-Dividend Date?

Ex-dividend dates signal when company shares cease to trade with their current dividend payouts. There is a small intermission period before companies announce new dividends. 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. Most ex-dividend dates operate on a quarterly basis.

Western Asset High Income's Dividend History

Over the past year, Western Asset High Income has experienced no change regarding its dividend payouts and a downward trend regarding its yields. Last year on October 22, 2020 the company's payout was $0.05, which has returned to its value today. Western Asset High Income's dividend yield last year was 8.78%, which has since decreased by 0.13%.
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.

To read more about Western Asset High Income click here.