Analyzing Mercury General's Ex-Dividend Date

Mercury General MCY declared a dividend payable on June 30, 2021 to its shareholders as of May 4, 2021. It was also announced that shareholders of Mercury General's stock as of June 16, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock is expected to become ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Mercury General has an ex-dividend date set for for June 15, 2021. The company's current dividend payout is $0.63, which equates to a dividend yield of 3.98% at current price levels.

What Are Ex-Dividend Dates?

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. Typically, companies will announce and implement new dividend yields on a quarterly basis.

Understanding Mercury General's Dividend History

Over the past year, Mercury General has experienced no change regarding its dividend payouts and a downward trend regarding its yields. Last year on June 10, 2020 the company's payout was $0.63, which has returned to its value today. Mercury General's dividend yield last year was 6.35%, which has since decreased by 2.37%.
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 Mercury General's previous dividends.