Ex-Dividend Date Insight: John Hancock Preferred

On January 4, 2021, John Hancock Preferred (NYSE:HPS) announced shareholders can expect to receive a dividend payable on January 29, 2021. The stock will then go ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. The ex-dividend date for John Hancock Preferred is set for January 13, 2021. The company's current dividend payout sits at $0.11, equating to a dividend yield of 7.63% at current price levels. The Significance Of Ex-Dividend Dates

An ex-dividend date is when a company's shares stop trading with its current dividend payout in preparation for the company to announce a new one. 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. John Hancock Preferred's Dividend Payouts And Yields

Over the past year, John Hancock Preferred has seen its dividend payouts remain the same and its yields trend downward. Last year on September 10, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.11, which has returned to its value today. John Hancock Preferred's dividend yield last year was 8.0%, which has since decreased by 0.37%.

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 John Hancock Preferred's previous dividends.