Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 3/5/15, Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM), Ensco plc (NYSE: ESV), and Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Waste Management, Inc. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.385 on 3/20/15, Ensco plc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.15 on 3/20/15, and Kansas City Southern will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.33 on 4/8/15.
As a percentage of WM's recent stock price of $54.95, this dividend works out to approximately 0.70%, so look for shares of Waste Management, Inc. to trade 0.70% lower — all else being equal — when WM shares open for trading on 3/5/15. Similarly, investors should look for ESV to open 0.63% lower in price and for KSU to open 0.29% lower, all else being equal.
Below are dividend history charts for WM, ESV, and KSU, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared.
Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM):
In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 2.80% for Waste Management, Inc. , 2.52% for Ensco plc, and 1.14% for Kansas City Southern.
Special Offer: Establish a secure stream of income during your retirement years by following the Retiree Income Portfolio with this free 30 day trial
In Tuesday trading, Waste Management, Inc. shares are currently up about 0.2%, Ensco plc shares are trading flat, and Kansas City Southern shares are off about 1.1% on the day.
