ITC Ltd and Page Industries Ltd shares will trade ex-dividend after May 26, with dividends payable to shareholders on record date May 27. According to reports from NDTV Profit and The Economic Times, the record date determines eligible shareholders who will receive the dividend payment, while the ex-dividend date marks when the share price adjusts to reflect the upcoming payout. Given India's T+1 settlement cycle, shares purchased on the record date will not be eligible for the dividend payment, making May 26 the last session for retail investors to buy shares to qualify. The timing coincides with LIC's bonus issue record date of May 29, making May 27 the critical cutoff date for investors seeking to participate in both dividend distributions and the insurance giant's maiden 1:1 bonus issue.
ITC Ltd declared a final dividend of ₹8 per share for FY26, bringing the total dividend amount to ₹14.50 per share after adding an interim dividend of ₹6.50 announced in January. As reported by The Economic Times, the final dividend of ₹8 per share with face value of Re 1 each is subject to shareholders' approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on July 23. Page Industries Ltd has announced a substantial interim dividend of ₹150 per share with the same record date of May 27. These dividend payments represent companies' distribution of profits to shareholders as a return on their equity investments. The substantial ₹150 per share dividend from Page Industries stands out as one of the highest interim dividends announced this year, significantly exceeding the standard interim dividend amounts.
This marks ITC's largest dividend in nearly six years, since the final dividend of ₹10.15 per share paid in 2020, as reported by The Economic Times. The company's total dividend payout for FY26 stands at ₹14.50 per share with a face value of Re 1 each. ITC has maintained a steady tradition of rewarding shareholders, having issued bonus shares in 2016 (1:2) and 2010 (1:1). The company also executed a mega demerger of its hotels segment, with the stock adjusting to the restructuring in January last year, followed by the listing of ITC Hotels on stock exchanges. ITC's cigarettes business remained the largest contributor to profitability, with revenue from the FMCG-cigarettes segment rising 32% YoY to ₹11,066 crore during the quarter, compared with ₹8,400 crore a year ago.
The company has a market capitalisation of more than ₹3.8 lakh crore, with the stock's P/E ratio standing at more than 18, as reported by The Economic Times. Shareholders who buy ITC's shares today will likely have them credited to their demat accounts by tomorrow, as per the T+1 settlement, making them eligible for the dividend. However, investors who buy shares on or after May 27 will not be eligible for the dividend as these shares will not be credited to their accounts by the record date. For LIC's bonus issue, the move aims to enhance share liquidity and affordability while maintaining the company's market capitalization through increased share count.
