A quarterly cash dividend of USD 0.29 per share from ODFL puts a precise number on the company's income commitment, but that number alone cannot settle the yield question any income-oriented buyer needs answered. The ex-dividend date and record date both fall on September 2, 2026, with payment following on September 16.
The calendar mechanics
Both the ex-dividend and record dates fall on September 2, the standard settlement alignment. Buyers must be on the register before that date to receive the distribution. Sell on or after September 2 and the dividend stays with the seller. ODFL distributes the cash fourteen days later, on September 16.
The quarterly schedule matters here. September 16 is one payment in a declared recurring cycle, not a standalone event.
The counterargument
The counterargument belongs here: USD 0.29 per share is an exact figure that still cannot anchor a position decision without the share price. Yield, the number income screens sort by, requires both inputs. The corporate action provides one. The other is homework the announcement does not do.
That is the honest limit of what the filing resolves. For holders already in, September 16 closes the question. For buyers deciding whether to get on the register before September 2, the yield math stays open.
On balance
On balance, ODFL has confirmed what a quarterly dividend declaration is supposed to confirm: a rate, a calendar and a payment date. The line to watch is whether the declared USD 0.29 rate holds through subsequent quarterly cycles. The immediate fact is September 16.