Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 12/10/14, Vector Group Ltd (NYSE: VGR), Johnson Controls Inc (NYSE: JCI), and GNC Holdings Inc (NYSE: GNC) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Vector Group Ltd will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.40 on 12/30/14, Johnson Controls Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.26 on 1/5/15, and GNC Holdings Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.16 on 12/26/14.
As a percentage of VGR's recent stock price of $22.11, this dividend works out to approximately 1.81%, so look for shares of Vector Group Ltd to trade 1.81% lower — all else being equal — when VGR shares open for trading on 12/10/14. Similarly, investors should look for JCI to open 0.53% lower in price and for GNC to open 0.38% lower, all else being equal.
Below are dividend history charts for VGR, JCI, and GNC, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared.
Vector Group Ltd (NYSE: VGR):
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 7.24% for Vector Group Ltd, 2.11% for Johnson Controls Inc, and 1.52% for GNC Holdings Inc.
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In Monday trading, Vector Group Ltd shares are currently down about 0.2%, Johnson Controls Inc shares are off about 0.4%, and GNC Holdings Inc shares are down about 0.2% on the day.
