What is a corporate action?

A corporate action is an action carried out by a company that affects its stakeholders. There are various types of corporate action; the most common being dividends, stock splits, and mergers and acquisitions. 

Dividends 

Dividends are the most common type of corporate action that will affect an open position. For a list of upcoming dividends, please click here. 

If you hold a position in a company that has decided to distribute a part of its corporate profits to its shareholders, this will accordingly be reflected in your position. Depending on the direction of your position, you will either be eligible to receive the payment or you will need to pay. The dividend adjustment is applied to your account if you still hold your position after the close of the day before the ex-dividend day (also called ex-div). The ex-div day is the first day when the share trades without the dividend. 

In the case of a long position, the amount of the dividend that is credited to your account corresponds to the net dividend (as it has to be adjusted for the taxes paid on dividend income) a holder of an equivalent position in the underlying would receive. The sum is equal to the number of shares multiplied by the net dividend per share. 

Holding a short position would mean the opposite, i.e. the holder needs to pay out the dividend. This transaction accounts for the fact that you actually sold the share. You could also look at this in broader terms i.e. you are the counterparty of the long. 

 
Example – long position: 

Holding a long position in 20,000 shares of XYZ Corporation will entitle you to the dividend payout, providing you hold your position after the close of the day before the ex-div date. If the company is going to pay a dividend of 12p per share and assuming it is a UK company, you will receive 100% of the dividend declared. So a total of £2,400 will be credited to your account. And it will be tax-free! 

For non-UK companies, the dividend may be subject to withholding tax. If you had a position in US stock, the announced dividend is subject to a 30% withholding tax. Being a UK resident firm, we claim a 15% tax benefit which we pass on to you and therefore you will be credited 85% of the announced dividends rather than 70%. 

Example – short position: 

Whilst you are short £35 per point in ABC Company, it goes ex-div – the company decided to pay 5p per share. As you need to pay 100% of the declared amount, a total of £175 will be deducted from your account. 

Other types of corporate actions 

Whilst dividends are the most common type of corporate action, Stryk will adjust open positions on other types of corporate action. These include, but are not limited to: