Dividend Stocks 2026

When and how often are dividends paid?

Dividends are paid when the company's general meeting decides to distribute a proportion of the profit to shareholders. Dividend payments normally occur annually (Annual), semi-annually (Semi-annual) or quarterly (Quarter), but may also be paid on an extraordinary (irregular) basis.

More frequent dividends becoming increasingly common

In recent years, we have seen an increasing number of companies moving to more frequent dividend payments, either twice a year, once per quarter or even monthly. This approach is particularly common in the shipping and energy sectors.

In our dividend overview below you can see when various Norwegian companies have decided to pay dividends.

What does ex-dividend mean?

Once a dividend has been finally approved for payment, it is too late to buy the share to receive the announced dividend. After that, the share can only be traded ex-dividend. In cases where companies have not yet publicly announced a final date for when the share will trade ex-dividend, you can assume this will occur the day after the general meeting.

Do I have to pay tax on the dividend?

Yes, a dividend is considered share income and must be taxed. Read more below.

Why do not all companies pay dividends?

There can be various reasons why companies do not pay dividends. Dividends are primarily paid when companies are performing well and have surplus profits.

Some companies may nevertheless prioritise using their surplus to finance further growth. Companies with poor earnings cannot afford to prioritise dividends.

What happens to the share price when the company pays a dividend?

When a listed company pays a dividend, the share price falls (all else being equal) by an amount corresponding to the size of the dividend.

The day this occurs is set by the company paying the dividend and is referred to as the "ex-dividend" date or "Ex. date".

What does "dividend yield" mean?

Dividend yield is a measure of dividend in relation to the share price and is calculated by dividing the dividend per share by the price per share.

Dividend yield is the English term for the same concept. English terms are often used in the financial markets. Some Norwegians, for example, say "dividende" for dividend.

What does Ex. date stand for?

Ex. date is an abbreviation for "date excluding dividend", from which date the share is traded without the right to dividend. Some also refer to it as ex-day.

In cases where companies have not announced an ex. date for when the share is traded excluding dividend, we have assumed that this will occur the day after the general meeting. However, this may change.