Shares of the metal and mining major Vedanta tumbled by 2.6% in an early trade today to their low of Rs 460.60 on the BSE as the stock started trading on an ex-dividend basis from today, i,e. December 24, which was fixed as the record date for determining the shareholder eligibility by the company.“We wish to inform you that the Board of Directors of Vedanta Limited (the “Company”), at its meeting held today i.e. Monday, December 16, 2024, has considered and approved the Fourth Interim Dividend of Rs 8.5/- per equity share on face value of Rs 1/- per equity share for the Financial Year 2024-25 amounting to c. Rs 3,324 Crores,” the company had said in an exchange filing.With Vedanta’s latest approved interim dividend of Rs 8.5 per share, amounting to Rs 3,324 crore, announced on December 16, the company’s total payout stands at Rs 16,798 crore so far in FY25.The Anil Agarwal-led conglomerate had announced an interim dividend of Rs 11 per share in May, followed by its second interim dividend of Rs 4 per share in August, Rs 20 per share in September and the latest interim dividend of Rs 8.5 per share on Monday (December 16).The record date determines which shareholders are eligible for benefits like dividends, splits, or bonus shares. To qualify, investors must hold shares in their demat account by the record date, which requires buying at least one day before the ex-date due to T+1 settlement.With T+1 settlement, the record date and ex-date often align unless a market holiday follows the ex-date.Also read: Multibagger stock to trade ex-bonus on Thursday. Last chance to buyThe company had reported a profit of Rs 5,603 crore for the quarter ended September 2024 as against a loss of Rs 915 crore in the same quarter of last year. Revenue from operations, meanwhile, declined 4% year-on-year to Rs 37,171 crore in the quarter ended September 2024. The same stood at Rs 38,546 crore a year ago.Vedanta shares closed approximately 1% lower at Rs 473.10 on the BSE on Monday.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)