Ex-dividend date: Why it's important to know when investing in dividend stocks

The ex-dividend date is important to dividend investors because of the role it plays in determining who gets the next dividend payment.
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The ex-dividend date, or ex-date, marks the cutoff period in which you can purchase a stock to receive the upcoming dividend payment.
If you own shares the day before the ex-dividend date, you receive the next dividend payment. If not you purchase the stock on the ex-date or after, the seller gets the dividend.
Investors use the ex-date t