The Clock Is Ticking on These 4 High-Yield Dividend Stocks
Four dividend stocks are hitting their ex-date deadlines this week, and for one of them, the window to collect the next payment slams shut at today's closing bell. Here is what the coverage numbers actually say before you decide to…
Four income names are lining up ex-dividend windows this week, and the earliest one closes at today’s session. Anyone hoping to collect the next payment has to be on the shareholder register before the ex-date, which for Gaming & Leisure Properties on September 11, 2026 means the buy-by deadline is today. The other three, an asset manager, a business development company and a regulated utility, all go ex on September 15, 2026.
A quick thing to note: the ex-dividend date is the first day a stock trades without the right to the upcoming payment, so buying on or after the ex-date means missing this payout. Own the shares before the ex-date, get paid on the payment date.
Gaming & Leisure Properties (GLPI): Buy By Today
Gaming & Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI | GLPI Price Prediction) is the most urgent name on the list. The gaming REIT declared a $0.82 quarterly dividend with a September 25, 2026 payment date, on a 7.59% dividend yield. The ex-date lands on September 11, so the last day to buy for this payment is today’s regular session.
For a REIT, coverage is read on AFFO, not EPS. GLPI reported Q2 2026 AFFO of $304.0M, or $1.03 per diluted share, up 10.1% year over year, comfortably above the $0.82 payout. Management raised full-year 2026 AFFO guidance to $4.10 to $4.12 per share and reported leverage of 4.8x, below the 5.0x to 5.5x target range. The yield is elevated in part because the stock has drifted lower: shares are down 7.41% over the past year and down 3.73% year to date, but AFFO coverage is intact.
T. Rowe Price (TROW): Buy By Monday, September 14
T. Rowe Price Group (NASDAQ:TROW) goes ex on September 15, 2026, with a $1.30 quarterly dividend payable September 29. The yield is 4.68%, and the last day to buy for this payment is Monday, September 14.
Coverage for an asset manager is a straight EPS read. TROW posted trailing diluted EPS of $9.96 against an annualized forward dividend of $5.20, leaving substantial cushion. Q2 2026 adjusted diluted EPS came in at $2.57 on record ending AUM of $1.89 trillion, though net client outflows of $6.5B remain the overhang on the equity story. Shares are down 5.68% over the past month, keeping the yield healthy.
Ares Capital (ARCC): Buy By Monday, September 14
Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC), the largest publicly traded BDC, has an ex-date of September 15, 2026, with a $0.48 quarterly dividend payable September 30. The yield sits at 9.75%. Buy by Monday, September 14 to collect it.
For BDCs, coverage runs off net investment income. ARCC reported Q2 2026 core EPS of $0.47 against the $0.48 payout, meaning NII covered roughly, but not fully, the regular dividend this quarter. Net investment income rose to $359M from $342M year over year, but GAAP net income fell to $0.24 per share on $183M of net unrealized portfolio losses, and non-accruals ticked up to 2.4% of amortized cost from 1.8%. NAV per share slipped to $19.35 from $19.94 at year-end 2025. Coverage is tight and worth watching.
Xcel Energy (XEL): Buy By Monday, September 14
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) rounds out the group with an ex-date of September 15, 2026, a $0.5925 quarterly dividend and an October 20, 2026 payment date. The yield is 3.02%, thinner than the others but paired with the lowest volatility profile of the four (beta 0.399).
Trailing diluted EPS came in at $3.62 compared with a $2.325 annual dividend, which seems to fit inside the company’s stated 45% to 55% target payout range. Management reaffirmed 2026 ongoing EPS guidance of $4.04 to $4.16. The real overhang is wildfire liability: Smokehouse Creek Fire estimated losses of $503M against roughly $80M of remaining insurance, $640M in Marshall Wildfire settlements, and a negative Moody’s outlook on Xcel unsecured debt. Shares are still up 9.64% over the past year.
Closing Read
Chasing a single dividend is not an income strategy. If the ex-date passes without shares in hand, the payment goes to the prior owner, full stop. The GLPI window closes today and the other three close Monday, September 14. Whether any of these fit a portfolio is a separate question from the calendar deadline, and the coverage reads above matter more than the yield headline.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
