The four dates to consider are:
1. Declaration date: The date on which the board of directors announces to shareholders and the market as a whole that the company will pay a dividend.
2. Date of record: The date on which the company looks at its records to see who the shareholders of the company are. An investor must be listed as a shareholder to receive the dividend.
3. Date of payment: The date the company mails out the dividends.
4. Ex-dividend date: An investor must own the stock before the ex-dividend date to be eligible for the dividend payout.
2. Date of record: The date on which the company looks at its records to see who the shareholders of the company are. An investor must be listed as a shareholder to receive the dividend.
3. Date of payment: The date the company mails out the dividends.
4. Ex-dividend date: An investor must own the stock before the ex-dividend date to be eligible for the dividend payout.