does any one buy funds just before they go ex dividend and then sell afterwards? - Funds - Forums (2024)

Welcome to the Citywire Funds Insider Forums, where members share investment ideas and discuss everything to do with their money.

You'll need to log in or set up an account to start new discussions or reply to existing ones. See you inside!

  • Active Topics
  • Search

Notification

does any one buy funds just before they go ex dividend and then sell afterwards? - Funds - Forums (1)

Error

does any one buy funds just before they go ex dividend and then sell afterwards?

+ Start a new discussion + Reply to discussion

sandra sellers

Posted: 31 July 2019 10:08:03(UTC)

#1

Joined: 11/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 2


Hi some funds pay high dividends eg Artemis Strategic Bond so I tend to buy a day or two before dividend date and then sell afterwards. Does anyone else do this?

Back to top Quote
David_M13

Posted: 31 July 2019 10:13:00(UTC)

#2

Joined: 28/09/2018(UTC)
Posts: 93


Surely the dividend is already factored in to the price?

Back to top Quote

|Edit by user

King Lodos

Posted: 31 July 2019 10:17:15(UTC)

#3

Joined: 05/01/2016(UTC)
Posts: 11,083

Thanks: 6166 times
Was thanked: 30410 time(s) in 8334 post(s)

sandra sellers;88124 wrote:

Hi some funds pay high dividends eg Artemis Strategic Bond so I tend to buy a day or two before dividend date and then sell afterwards. Does anyone else do this?

No.

If you're being serious – the dividend's simply subtracted from the price on the ex-div date, so there's no possible way to benefit from timing your buying or selling .. You're just as good selling the fund the day before the ex-div date – makes absolutely no difference.

All a dividend is is self-liquidation .. Your fund is worth 100p; ex-div date it goes to 95p; then the dividend gets paid 5p .. Market noise obscures how simple this is, but the income's just coming out of your investment, no matter how well you try and time it.

Back to top Quote

5 users thanked King Lodos for this post.

dlp6666

on 31/07/2019(UTC),

Jon Edwards

on 31/07/2019(UTC),

Tim D

on 31/07/2019(UTC),

ANDREW FOSTER

on 31/07/2019(UTC),

jacm

on 03/08/2019(UTC)

Alexander Johnston

Posted: 31 July 2019 13:45:23(UTC)

#10

Joined: 22/09/2018(UTC)
Posts: 1,999


sandra sellers;88124 wrote:

Hi some funds pay high dividends eg Artemis Strategic Bond so I tend to buy a day or two before dividend date and then sell afterwards. Does anyone else do this?

No.

Back to top Quote
Tim D

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:05:25(UTC)

#11

Joined: 07/06/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8,256

Thanks: 31266 times
Was thanked: 22550 time(s) in 6700 post(s)

(US research, but anyway...) Reminded me of this Swedroe piece which notes there are some funds which engage in just such behaviour for the purposes of artificially "juicing" their yield higher : https://www.etf.com/sect...vidend-juice?nopaging=1 . Mentions an extreme example of a fund with a 2000% portfolio turnover and a yield of 19%.

Article also notes that it's a completely irrational thing to do (although of course when funds are doing it they're simply quite rationally exploiting their investors' irrational preference for dividends).

Back to top Quote

1 user thanked Tim D for this post.

King Lodos

on 31/07/2019(UTC)

Keith Cobby

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:12:18(UTC)

#12

Joined: 07/03/2012(UTC)
Posts: 4,739

Thanks: 5209 times
Was thanked: 11173 time(s) in 3553 post(s)

Portfolio churn is used to provide higher than market yields. I think this is very common and one of the reasons total return is most important. Investors who think that so long as they get their dividend and that the capital can look after itself are deluded. The classic value-trap.

Back to top Quote

1 user thanked Keith Cobby for this post.

mdss68

on 31/07/2019(UTC)

Keith Clunk

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:14:22(UTC)

#13

Joined: 07/05/2019(UTC)
Posts: 156


As a relatively new investor I must admit I was curious about this subject. Although, as stated above, I've done some research and was already aware the stock price is adjusted down accordingly at the time.

It may have been the LTGE inc. money that fell into my account today that got me thinking more about this, but it all sounds too obvious and if money were to be made many others would already be doing it.

Even so, I get the vibe from responses so far that it's not a route to fast or easy money and rather pointless, but I will look into it myself a bit more as for all I know with a little patience, not buying last minute and being in no hurry to sell afterwards one could set aside 10 or 20k per year to flip around across perhaps 6 or so decent dividend payers.

Back to top Quote
Tim D

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:17:50(UTC)

#15

Joined: 07/06/2017(UTC)
Posts: 8,256

Thanks: 31266 times
Was thanked: 22550 time(s) in 6700 post(s)

Keith Clunk;88146 wrote:

Even so, I get the vibe from responses so far that it's not a route to fast or easy money and rather pointless, but I will look into it myself a bit more as for all I know with a little patience, not buying last minute and being in no hurry to sell afterwards one could set aside 10 or 20k per year to flip around across perhaps 6 or so decent dividend payers.

All you'd be doing is incurring a lot of effort and trading expense to churn capital into income with no extra profit. Just spend the capital if you need the money; the divi chasing is a very roundabout way of doing the same thing.

Back to top Quote

1 user thanked Tim D for this post.

King Lodos

on 31/07/2019(UTC)

Alexander Johnston

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:18:01(UTC)

#14

Joined: 22/09/2018(UTC)
Posts: 1,999


Keith Clunk;88146 wrote:

As a relatively new investor I must admit I was curious about this subject. Although, as stated above, I've done some research and was already aware the stock price is adjusted down accordingly at the time.

It may have been the LTGE inc. money that fell into my account today that got me thinking more about this, but it all sounds too obvious and if money were to be made many others would already be doing it.

Even so, I get the vibe from responses so far that it's not a route to fast or easy money and rather pointless, but I will look into it myself a bit more as for all I know with a little patience, not buying last minute and being in no hurry to sell afterwards one could set aside 10 or 20k per year to flip around across perhaps 6 or so decent dividend payers.

Surely it's a way to lose money taking account of buying and selling costs as well as waste of time.

Back to top Quote
mdss68

Posted: 31 July 2019 14:46:19(UTC)

#18

Joined: 20/09/2018(UTC)
Posts: 1,898


Works much better the other way round, sell just before ex div, then buy back afterwards, often a share will end up dropping by an amount greater than the dividend....now you have more shares, hopefully for less money!

Of course there will be times this won't work out, but overall if you're disciplined, patient & careful, it can work as a strategy (there used to be a thread on II following one guy's on-going "scrip dividend poker" with HSBC).

Back to top Quote

3 Pages123Next page

+ Start a new discussion + Reply to discussion


does any one buy funds just before they go ex dividend and then sell afterwards? - Funds - Forums (2024)

FAQs

Can I buy stock before the ex-dividend date and sell after? ›

Dividend capture specifically calls for buying a stock just prior to the ex-dividend date in order to receive the dividend, then selling it immediately after the dividend is paid. The purpose of the two trades is simply to receive the dividend, as opposed to investing for the longer term.

Should you buy before or after a dividend? ›

If you're being serious – the dividend's simply subtracted from the price on the ex-div date, so there's no possible way to benefit from timing your buying or selling .. You're just as good selling the fund the day before the ex-div date – makes absolutely no difference.

Does a stock purchase have to settle before ex-dividend date? ›

The simple answer to the question in the headline is that the settlement date doesn't necessarily have to occur before the ex-dividend date in order for the shareholder to receive the dividend.

Will any investors who purchase stock on or after the ex-dividend date get dividend on the payment date? ›

The ex-dividend date or "ex-date" is usually one business day before the record date. Investors who purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after will not receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the seller gets the dividend. Investors only get dividends if they buy the stock before the ex-dividend date.

Can I buy one day before my ex-dividend date? ›

As noted above, the ex-date or ex-dividend date marks the cutoff point for a pending stock dividend. Some trading platforms, market data, and news services might add an XD modifier to the ticker symbol to show it is trading ex-dividend. If you buy a stock one day before the ex-dividend, you will get the dividend.

Can I buy after hours before my ex-dividend date? ›

If you buy on or after the ex-dividend-date in regular trading, after hours trading or premarket trading, you do not qualify for the dividend. However if you buy the day before, even in after hours trading, you still qualify.

How many days before should I buy share to get dividend? ›

The ex-dividend date is the first day the stock trades without its dividend, thus ex-dividend. If you want to get the dividend payment, you need to own the stock by this day. That means you have to buy before the end of the day before the ex-dividend date to get the next dividend. In other words, it's the cut-off date.

Should I buy mutual fund before or after dividend? ›

If you buy units of a mutual fund just before it makes a distribution, you will receive and be liable for tax on that distribution, even though the value of the distribution was reflected in the unit price you paid for the fund.

What happens if I sell after my ex-dividend date? ›

The ex-dividend date is the first day of trading in which new shareholders don't have rights to the next dividend disbursem*nt. However, if shareholders continue to hold their stock, they may qualify for the next dividend. If shares are sold on or after the ex-dividend date, they will still receive the dividend.

Do stock prices rise before ex-dividend date? ›

Because investors know they will receive a dividend if they purchase a stock before its ex-dividend date, they are often willing to buy it at a premium. This often causes the price of a stock to increase in the days leading up to its ex-dividend date.

Can I sell on record date and get dividend? ›

What Happens If I Sell a Stock on the Record Date? You are still entitled to the dividend if you sell a stock on its record date. Since the ex-date has already passed, it's the seller, not the buyer, who's on the books as the shareholder on the record date.

What are the three important dates for dividends? ›

When it comes to investing for dividends, there are three key dates that everyone should memorize. The three dates are the date of declaration, date of record, and date of payment.

Is it better to buy before or after the ex-dividend date? ›

The stock price drops by the amount of the dividend on the ex-dividend date. Remember, the ex-dividend date is the day before the record date. If investors want to receive a stock's dividend, they have to buy shares of stock before the ex-dividend date.

Can you buy a stock just before the dividend and then sell? ›

“Dividend capture strategy” returns are the trading technique of buying a stock just before the dividend is paid, holding it just long enough to collect the dividend, then selling it. If you can sell it for as much as you paid, you have “captured” the dividend at no cost, other than the transaction costs.

Is it better to sell stock before or after a dividend? ›

For most people, it is not rational to time delay their share sale to capture a dividend. There are some minor tax consideration, but these will not be material for most people with relatively small shareholdings. Bottom line – if you want to sell your shares, sell them!

What happens if you sell stock after ex-dividend date? ›

The ex-dividend date is the first day of trading in which new shareholders don't have rights to the next dividend disbursem*nt. However, if shareholders continue to hold their stock, they may qualify for the next dividend. If shares are sold on or after the ex-dividend date, they will still receive the dividend.

How long to hold stock after ex-dividend date? ›

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.

Does chasing dividends work? ›

Dividend capture can be an effective short-term trading strategy in certain markets, but it's not a plan to gain long-term wealth. Dividend harvesting can provide steady and reliable income without worrying too much about volatile market gyrations or confusing technical analysis.

What is dividend stripping with an example? ›

An individual claiming short-term capital loss from the sale of a share must have purchased or acquired share units within 3 months before the record date. Such a person sells or transfers the securities within 3 months post the record date, 9 months in the case of mutual fund units.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carmelo Roob

Last Updated:

Views: 6766

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carmelo Roob

Birthday: 1995-01-09

Address: Apt. 915 481 Sipes Cliff, New Gonzalobury, CO 80176

Phone: +6773780339780

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Gaming, Jogging, Rugby, Video gaming, Handball, Ice skating, Web surfing

Introduction: My name is Carmelo Roob, I am a modern, handsome, delightful, comfortable, attractive, vast, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.