4 Dividend Stocks Retirees Can Buy Before They Go Ex-Dividend in the Week Ahead
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These four names offer one more dividend payment before year-end, as four Nasdaq-listed payers from biotech, beverages and chip equipment all go ex-dividend within two trading days. Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN | AMGN Price Prediction) leads the group with a $2.52 quarterly payment. Each company funds its dividend from real cash flow, so this list ranks dividend safety ahead of yield.
Own Shares Before the Ex-Date to Lock In the Payment
The ex-dividend date is the cutoff. To get the next payment, you have to own the shares before the ex-dividend date, because if you buy on the ex-date or later, the seller keeps the dividend. For all four, the record date is the ex-date for each requested stock. In practice you need to buy by the close of the prior trading day. Keep in mind that a share price often falls by about the dividend amount when the stock opens on the ex-date. Payout durability and the business’s ability to keep growing drive long-term dividend returns.
Amgen: A 15-Year Raise Record Backed by Billions in Free Cash Flow
Amgen goes ex-dividend on Friday, Nov. 20. The $2.52 per-share payment arrives Dec. 11. The stock last traded at $465.67 and yields 2.13%, with an annualized forward dividend of $10.08.
Dividend safety: Coverage is comfortable. Trailing dividends of $9.94 against GAAP EPS of $17.25 work out to a payout ratio of about 58%. The forward dividend is roughly 44% of the low end of 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance, which runs from $22.90 to $23.70. One quarterly payment costs about $1.36 billion, or around 37% of third-quarter free cash flow of $3.654 billion[1]. Debt is the weak spot: $54.0 billion outstanding against $13.19 billion in cash. Amgen paused buybacks (none repurchased in Q3), which leaves more cash for the dividend and for paying down debt. Dividend growth has been strong. In the available history, the quarterly payout rose every year, from $0.28 in 2011 to $2.52 in 2026, and the latest increase was 6%.
Bull case: Revenue came in at $10.365B in the third quarter, up 8.45%. Growth drugs powered the quarter: Repatha rose 37%, EVENITY 39% and TEZSPIRE 43%. With a beta of 0.417 and a forward P/E of 19, Amgen gives retirees a low-volatility income stock whose dividend has a long record of growth.
Risk: Biosimilars are eating into older products. Prolia sales fell 45% and XGEVA fell 47%, so the newer drugs have to keep offsetting those declines.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners: Defensive Beverage Income With a Set Payout Policy
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (NASDAQ:CCEP) lists an ex-dividend date of Friday, Nov. 20. Some listings show Nov. 19 instead, so buying by Wednesday covers both dates. The second-half payment of $1.5886 per share (converted from euros) is paid Dec. 3. The stock yields 2.03%.
Dividend safety: Management targets a payout ratio of about 50%[2], and the full-year dividend is €2.24 per share. Guidance calls for comparable free cash flow of at least €1.7B[2], enough to fund the dividend and a €1.0B buyback that is about €880M complete. The bottler powered real leverage, with total liabilities of $27.31B[3] against equity of $10.09B. The dividend history is steady. The November payment has grown from $1.34 in 2024 to $1.43 in 2025, and this year’s check is about 11% larger in dollar terms.
Bull case: Revenue rose 6.5%[2] as reported and 5.8% on an FX-neutral basis in the third quarter. Volume grew 3.5%[2] and energy drinks jumped 17.3%. CEO Damian Gammell said the company’s performance "is driving strong and profitable cash generation, supporting record investment in future growth… a growing dividend and ongoing share buybacks."[2] With a beta of 0.456, Coca-Cola Europacific is among the more defensive consumer income stocks.
Risk: The dividend is declared in euros, so what you receive in dollars goes with exchange rates. Payments are also uneven: the first-half check was only $0.9443[3].
Applied Materials: Fast Dividend Growth From an AI Chip Equipment Leader
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) is the first of the four to go ex-dividend, on Thursday, Nov. 19. The $0.53 payment arrives Dec. 10. At $370.50, the $2.12 forward dividend yields about 0.57%.
Dividend safety: This is one of the best-covered dividends in the group. Trailing dividends of $1.98 equal roughly 16% of EPS of $12.62. Fourth-quarter dividends of $421M[4] used about 16% of that quarter’s $2.616B in free cash flow, and full-year free cash flow reached $6.196B. The company holds $7.239B[4] in cash and $26.106B in shareholders’ equity. The dividend has grown steadily, from $0.10 per quarter during much of 2015 to 2018 up to today’s level, and the latest increase was about 15%.
Bull case: Fourth-quarter revenue rose 53.07%[4] to $10.409B. Semiconductor Systems revenue reached $7.996B[4], up from $4.879B a year earlier, on AI-driven demand. First-quarter guidance calls for $11.10B[4] in revenue and $4.35 in non-GAAP EPS. Applied also bought back $2.00B[4] of stock in the quarter. Retirees get a small starting yield that is growing at a double-digit pace.
Risk: Export controls remain a live issue. The company paid a $253M BIS settlement in fiscal 2026, and China’s share of segment revenue goes to 28% from 35%.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: A Young Dividend Backed by a Fortress Balance Sheet
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) goes ex-dividend Friday, Nov. 20, and pays $0.94 per share on Dec. 3. The yield is 0.39%, the lowest of the four.
Dividend safety: Coverage is very strong. Trailing dividends of $3.70 are about 8% of EPS of $45.24. One quarterly payment costs roughly $95.5 million, compared with third-quarter operating income of $2.048B[5]. Regeneron had $17.823B[6] in cash at mid-year against total liabilities of $10.019B. The dividend program is new, with records starting at $0.88 in 2025, so its history is short. Even so, this year’s increase of about 7% shows a commitment to growing the payout. Buybacks totaled $2.3B[5] in nine months, with $2.2B of authorization left.
Bull case: Revenue rose 36.27%[5] to $5.116B in the third quarter, and non-GAAP EPS of $20.07 beat the $16.19 consensus. Dupixent global sales reached $6.541B[5], and EYLEA HD grew 62%. A $1.0B[5] up-front payment will be booked in Q4. At a forward P/E of 14, Regeneron is the cheapest stock here on forward earnings and the one with the most room to raise its dividend.
Risk: Sales of the original EYLEA fell 41%[5] to $400M as biosimilars and the switch to EYLEA HD take share.
Four Dividends You Can Count On This Week
Amgen and Coca-Cola Europacific return the most current income. Applied Materials and Regeneron offer the strongest coverage and the most room for future increases. All four pay their dividends out of free cash flow or earnings with plenty to spare, which backs the durability of their payouts beyond this week’s ex-dates. Shareholders of record before each ex-date receive the December payments, and future dividend raise announcements are the next items to watch. Lining up payers like these into a ladder that funds retirement without selling shares is the whole premise of our free Never Touch the Principal guide.
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Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad, diverse career, including a stint as creative services director at an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry.
Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans more than 30 years, including nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career spanned pivotal sell-side Wall Street events, from the dot-com rise and bubble to the Long-Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This reflects his resilience and adaptability amid market volatility.
Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, gained through a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing across various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies of Wall Street in a way only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.
Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.
