It's that time of the year folks. The February earnings season is in full swing with S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares declaring dividends left, right, and centre, and there are several names set to trade ex-dividend this week.
Once the ex-dividend milestone passes, new investors in the companies will have missed out on their upcoming offerings. It also means the stocks will likely be trading in the red at one point in the week.
Let's take a look at some of the high-profile market giants gearing up to trade ex-dividend this week.
ASX 200 shares trading ex-dividend this week
Among the first to trade ex-dividend will be ASX 200 giant Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES). And I've got bad news for anyone wishing to secure its upcoming dividend but isn't yet invested in the stock.
The retail-focused conglomerate trades ex-dividend this morning. It boosted its interim dividend 10% last week, declaring an 88 cent per share fully franked offering as part of its strong first-half earnings.
Glove and personal protective equipment manufacturer Ansell Limited (ASX: ANN) will also trade ex-dividend today. It declared a 20.1 US cent interim dividend last week – marking a 17% year-on-year drop.
Following in its footsteps on Tuesday will be ASX 200 shares Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) and Computershare Limited (ASX: CPU).
The former boosted its interim dividend last week, declaring a fully franked 14.3 cent per share payout – a 14% improvement. The latter beat that. It offered a 30 cent per share unfranked interim dividend – a 25% increase on that of last year.
On Wednesday, shares in ASX 200 goliath Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) will likely drop as the bank trades ex-dividend. It lifted its dividend by 20% to $2.10 per share last week. Though, that wasn't enough to stop the market bidding the bank's stock 5.7% lower.
AGL Energy Limited (ASX: AGL) will also trade ex-dividend on Wednesday after disappointing many with its half-year results. Its profits for the period tumbled 55% while its interim payout was halved to 8 cents per share.
ASX 200 electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH) will pass the milestone on Thursday. JB Hi-Fi posted strong first-half earnings last week. It upped its interim dividend by nearly 21% to $1.97 per share, fully franked.
Finally, Friday will probably be a rough one for the share price of GUD Holdings Limited (ASX: GUD). Would-be shareholders will then miss out on GUD's 17 cent per share interim payout, declared last Wednesday.
