In theory the share price should open 7.7p down per share on the 9th of Dec.
Our Board has declared an interim dividend for 2017-18 of 7.7 pence per ordinary share, for shareholders on the register on 8 December 2017.
Today is the first day that anyone can purchase a Royal Mail share, and not receive the interim dividend payment for 2017-18.
Why is the ex-dividend date important?
Typically, a company's share price will start trading at a lower price on its ex-dividend date. All other things being equal, the difference in the share price is normally approximately the value of the dividend payment. This is because anyone buying the shares from that point would not receive that dividend payment.
Of course, there are many other factors that can impact a company's share price. It is ultimately decided by the stock market. The share price reflects the market's view of the business, its prospects and general market conditions. It is important to remember that the price and value of any shares can go down as well as up, depending on demand for the shares.
Demand can be influenced by a number of factors, including market demand, the company's performance and what is called 'sentiment' – what people believe or expect will happen in the future.
Royal Mail share price
You can see our share price every day the stock market is open. You can see it on http://www.myroyalmail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, on screens in your workplace, and in certain newspapers.
On our websites, the share price will update every 15 minutes when the stock market is open and will show the closing price of the previous trading day when the stock market is closed. It will not reflect the current market price and should not be used to make any investment decisions.
Dividend payment date
The Royal Mail interim dividend for 2017-18 will be paid on 10 January 2018.