Are special dividends worth it?
Special dividends also have some drawbacks, such as reducing the share price of the company by the dividend amount. If an investor then sells their shares directly after the dividend payment, at the lower price, they will cancel out the benefit of the special dividend.
A special dividend can be seen by investors as the company finding no better use for its cash reserves. In other words, investors may see the company facing a lack of reinvestment opportunities. This may have a negative impact on the company's stock price as investors may believe its growth potential is decreasing.
A company would issue a special dividend after recording high earnings hence, wants to share with its shareholders. It may also be issued if a company wishes to restructure its financial structure by reducing equity and assets.
If the dividend is 25% or more of the stock value, special rules apply to the determination of the ex-dividend date. In these cases, the ex-dividend date will be deferred until one business day after the dividend is paid.
How dividends are taxed depends on your income, filing status and whether the dividend is qualified or nonqualified. Qualified dividends are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% depending on taxable income and filing status. Nonqualified dividends are taxed as income at rates up to 37%.
Yes, special dividends are included within our dividend reinvestment service and will be reinvested two working days after the dividend is paid into your account. If you do not want to have a special dividend reinvested please remove the investment from the dividend reinvestment service before the dividend is paid.
The Company also announced that the Board of Directors has declared a special cash dividend on Costco common stock of $15 per share, payable January 12, 2024, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 28, 2023.
A company will usually pay out a special dividend after strong earnings as a way to reward long-term investors. However, there are times when special dividends are paid out when a company is trying to make changes to its financial structure.
Costco's dividend history
Previous special dividends were paid in 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020 in the amounts of $7, $5, $7, and $10, respectively. This makes the company's 2024 special dividend of $15 its largest, by far. To fund this dividend, Costco will pay an aggregate amount of $6.7 billion to shareholders.
The dividend payout is aimed at enhancing the firm's payout ratio and distributing a portion of its substantial automotive cash balance, which stands at $28.7 billion, to shareholders, David Whiston, analyst at Morningstar said in a note.
Do special dividends reduce stock price?
First of all, when a company makes a special dividend payment, its stock price is immediately reduced by the amount of that payment.
This broader mix of stocks offers higher payouts and greater diversification than what you'll get with the Invesco QQQ Trust. And if you've got a large portfolio totaling more than $1.1 million, your dividend income could come in around $50,000 per year.
To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%. For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
You may be able to avoid all income taxes on dividends if your income is low enough to qualify for zero capital gains if you invest in a Roth retirement account or buy dividend stocks in a tax-advantaged education account.
Dividends are taxable regardless of whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in the mutual fund that pays them out. You incur the tax liability in the year in which the dividends are reinvested.
Qualified dividends must meet special requirements issued by the IRS. The maximum tax rate for qualified dividends is 20%, with a few exceptions for real estate, art, or small business stock. Ordinary dividends are taxed at income tax rates, which as of the 2023 tax year, maxes out at 37%.
At the most basic level, you only need to own a stock by the ex-dividend date (or deadline) in order to get the dividend. And you can sell the stock a day or two after that, once everything settles. So in theory, you only need to own the stock for a couple of days to get the dividend.
Dividends return cash to all shareholders while a share buyback returns cash to self-selected shareholders only.
A special stock dividend is a dividend payment made in stock versus cash. The holder of an option contract will have the same number of contracts at a reduced strike price. The option contract will now represent the original share value plus the stock dividend.
- ARMOUR Residential REIT – 20.7%
- Orchid Island Capital – 17.8%
- AGNC Investment – 14.8%
- Oxford Square Capital – 13.7%
- Ellington Residential Mortgage REIT – 13.2%
- SLR Investment – 11.5%
- PennantPark Floating Rate Capital – 10%
- Main Street Capital – 7%
What stock pays the highest dividend yield?
- Verizon Communications VZ.
- Johnson & Johnson JNJ.
- Philip Morris International PM.
- Altria Group MO.
- Comcast CMCSA.
- Medtronic MDT.
- Pioneer Natural Resources PXD.
- Duke Energy DUK.
Name | Price | Analyst Price Target |
---|---|---|
CVX Chevron | $162.50 | $180.20 (10.89% Upside) |
EOG EOG Resources | $137.84 | $143.25 (3.92% Upside) |
ET Energy Transfer | $15.76 | $18.25 (15.80% Upside) |
HESM Hess Midstream Partners | $35.82 | $37.25 (3.99% Upside) |
Most frequently, the strike price of your option will be adjusted lower to reflect the amount of the special dividend. For example, a one-time cash payment of $5 could turn your 25-strike call into a 20-strike call.
Stock | Dividend yield | Dividend growth streak |
---|---|---|
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) | 2.4% | 68 years |
3M Co. (MMM) | 6.5% | 65 years |
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) | 3.3% | 61 years |
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) | 3.2% | 61 years |
But even if you're not a Costco shareholder, you can still get in on the action. The special dividend's ex-dividend date is Dec. 27, 2023, meaning as long as you own shares at the close of the market that day, you will receive the dividend.
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