Benzinga | Mar 15, 2021 11:42AM EDT

Ex-Dividend Date Insight: Rayonier

Rayonier (NYSE:RYN) declared a dividend payable on March 31, 2021 to its shareholders as of February 22, 2021. It was also announced that shareholders of Rayonier's stock as of March 17, 2021 are entitled to the dividend. The stock is expected to become ex-dividend 1 business day(s) before the record date. Rayonier, which has a current dividend per share of $0.27, has an ex-dividend date scheduled for March 16, 2021. That equates to a dividend yield of 3.11% at current price levels.

Understanding 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. Most ex-dividend dates operate on a quarterly basis.

Understanding Rayonier's Dividend Payouts And Yields

Over the past year, Rayonier has seen its dividend payouts remain the same and its yields trend downward. Last year on March 16, 2020 the company's payout sat at $0.27, which has returned to its value today. Rayonier's dividend yield last year was 3.65%, which has since decreased by 0.54%.

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.

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