3 FTSE 100 Shares Going Ex-Dividend Next Week

LONDON -- If you want to be eligible for a dividend payment, or if you're hoping a share price might drop disproportionately when the time has passed, you need to be aware of your ex-dividend dates; so long as you hold the shares up to and including that day, you'll get your money.

Whatever your strategy, we have a handful of FTSE 100 companies reaching the all-important day next week. The following three will go ex-dividend next Wednesday, May 8.

GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline released first-quarter results on April 24 and announced a dividend of 18 pence per share. That's a rise of 6% over the same period last year and is part of a program of returning cash to shareholders; the pharmaceuticals giant is also targeting share repurchases of 1 billion pounds to 2 billion pounds.

A similar percentage rise in the firm's dividends over the full year would result in a total payment of approximately 78 pence per share for a yield of 4.7% on a share price of 1,658 pence.

Antofagasta
The mining sector might be under some pressure these days, but that hasn't stopped Antofagasta from offering a nice dividend for the 2012 full year. Although the ordinary dividend of $0.21 per share announced on March 12 only represents a yield of 1.5% on a share price of 909 pence, there is also a special dividend of $0.775 per share to be paid, taking the total for the year to $0.985 for a yield of 6.9%.

The previous year's dividend payment was similarly split, but with an ordinary dividend of $0.20 and a special dividend of $0.24 per share for 2011, the total payout for 2012 is up 124%.

Kingfisher
On March 26, Kingfisher announced a final dividend of 6.37 pence per share, unchanged from the same period last year. But an earlier 25% rise in the interim dividend to 3.09 pence takes Kingfisher's overall payment for the year to 9.46 pence per share. That's a rise of 7% and represents a yield of 3% on a share price of 327 pence.

The boost comes despite the fact that a 2.4% drop in sales for the owner of the U.K.'s B&Q and Screwfix brands led to an 11.4% fall in adjusted pre-tax profit and an 11.2% fall in adjusted earnings per share. But the dividend was more than twice-covered, and there is a return to earnings forecast for the current year.

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The article 3 FTSE 100 Shares Going Ex-Dividend Next Week originally appeared on Fool.com.

Alan Oscroft has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Antofagasta and GlaxoSmithKline. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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