Sydney, Feb 23, 2026, 17:10 AEDT — Market closed
- Wesfarmers slipped 1.7% to close at A$82.58 on Monday.
- Shares are set to go ex-dividend on Feb. 24, making way for a A$1.02 interim dividend.
- The company set Feb. 25 as the dividend record date, and payment is due March 31.
Wesfarmers ended Monday down 1.7% at A$82.58, stretching its losing streak to five sessions. The slump hits the Bunnings and Kmart parent again.
Stocks slipped as the broader market struggled. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia dropped 0.61%, weighed down by information technology, healthcare, and real estate investment trusts, data from Investing.com showed.
Wesfarmers investors are watching the calendar now, with shares going ex-dividend on Feb. 24. Only buyers before that date will be eligible for the interim payout. The company’s set a fully franked interim dividend of A$1.02 per share, with a record date of Feb. 25 and payment set for March 31.
Investors are digesting last week’s numbers and guidance from Wesfarmers, which dropped during the thick of earnings season. The company turned in a half-year profit above forecasts but warned on patchy consumer spending. CEO Rob Scott cited inflation as a pressure on living costs. Shares took a hit that day.
Bunnings puts the company right in the flow of home spending and construction, while Kmart captures the value-conscious crowd. That combo often holds up as shoppers tighten belts—unless margin pressure from price wars starts to bite.
Franking credits remain a real focus for income investors in Australia, often weighing as heavily as the headline yield itself. The ex-dividend drop, though, tends to blur price action in the following session—especially if shares are already reeling from an earnings miss.
A big risk here: if shoppers keep holding back, softer sales could follow as the half progresses. In that case, attention could snap from dividends over to earnings estimates—and then, valuation might start to matter a lot more.
Tuesday brings the first unfiltered session after the recent pullback, though dividend quirks could still muddy the signal. Traders are watching closely to see if the selling following earnings reports dries up or continues to hit big defensive names.
