A number of popular dividend shares will trade ex-dividend on Wednesday, which means investors will need to act fast if they want to qualify for their latest payouts.
Three dividend shares that are going ex-dividend this week are listed below. Should you invest today?
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
On Wednesday the shares of Australia's largest bank will trade ex-dividend for its $2.31 per share fully franked dividend. This dividend will then be paid to eligible shareholders on September 26. Whilst I think that CBA is worth considering if you don't already have exposure to the banking sector, I feel the rest of the big four offer more value for money. My pick is Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) due to its attractive valuation and above-average dividend yield.
Scentre Group (ASX: SCG)
Scentre is the owner of all the Westfield properties in the Australia and New Zealand region and is going ex-distribution on Wednesday for its 11.3 cents per unit distribution. This will then be paid to eligible unitholders on August 30. I think Scentre would be a good option for income investors due to the quality of its assets, solid long-term growth prospects, and above-average distribution yield. In light of this, I think it is worth buying its units this week and taking advantage of this latest payout.
Suncorp Group Ltd (ASX: SUN)
This insurance giant's shares will also trade ex-dividend on Wednesday. Suncorp is paying shareholders a 44 cents per share fully franked final dividend, which will then be paid to eligible shareholders on September 25. Whilst I think that things are looking better for the company now, especially after it scrapped its Marketplace strategy, I haven't seen enough to want to invest just yet. As a result, I wouldn't be in a rush to invest today in order to qualify for this latest dividend.
