recordpäivämäärät

A record date, or record date (Swedish: recordpäivämäärä), is a specific date set by a company that determines which shareholders are eligible to receive a dividend, vote at a shareholder meeting, or receive other benefits associated with stock ownership. It is a crucial date in corporate finance and stock market operations.

The record date is established by the company's board of directors. It is important to distinguish the record date from the ex-dividend date (ex-utdelningsdatum). The ex-dividend date is the date on which a stock begins trading without the value of the next dividend. If you purchase a stock on or after the ex-dividend date, you will not receive the upcoming dividend. Conversely, if you buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, you are entitled to the dividend.

The record date follows the ex-dividend date by a few business days, typically two. This timing is due to the settlement period for stock trades. When a trade is executed, it takes a certain number of days for the ownership of the shares to officially transfer from the seller to the buyer. The record date ensures that the company can accurately identify the shareholders of record at the close of business on that specific day.

Shareholders who appear on the company's books as of the close of trading on the record date are the ones who will receive the dividend payment or be eligible to vote. For example, if a company declares a dividend with a record date of Friday, October 27th, then anyone who owns the stock at the end of the trading day on October 27th will receive the dividend. This mechanism ensures a clear and unambiguous process for distributing corporate entitlements.