Quick Read
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Gladstone Commercial yields ~10% and Gladstone Capital ~10%, but GLAD already cut its monthly rate from $0.165 and shares are down 4% year to date.
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First Busey's dividend carries only a 38% EPS payout ratio and a 12.53% CET1 ratio, making it the safest of the four despite its 3.5% yield.
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All four stocks share an October 23 ex-dividend date, making October 22 the last trading day to qualify for the October 30 payment.
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Four income stocks share one deadline this week. Gladstone Commercial( NASDAQ:GOOD ), Gladstone Capital( NASDAQ:GLAD ), ArrowMark Financial( NASDAQ:BANX ) and First Busey( NASDAQ:BUSE ) all go ex-dividend on Friday, October 23, 2026, with payment set for October 30. That makes Thursday, October 22, the last trading day to buy and qualify. The four carry different risk profiles: Gladstone Commercial is a REIT, Gladstone Capital is a business development company (BDC), ArrowMark Financial is a closed-end fund, and First Busey is a regional bank.
How the deadline works:you must own shares before the ex-dividend date to collect the payment. If you buy on or after the ex-date, the seller keeps the dividend. The pay date is when the cash lands in your account.
Gladstone Commercial (GOOD): A Near 10% Yield With a One-Time Asterisk
Gladstone Commercial pays $0.10 per share monthly, or $1.20 annualized. At a premarket price of $12.06, that works out to a yield of about 9.95%. Investors who own shares before the October 23 ex-date collect the October 30 payment. The REIT has also declared $0.10 distributions for November and December.
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For a REIT, the right benchmark is funds from operations (FFO). Second-quarter Core FFO came in at $0.38 per diluted share against $0.30 in quarterly distributions, a payout ratio of roughly 79%. That quarter included a lease termination fee recognized on a property sold during the quarter, which flatters coverage and makes ongoing cash flow harder to read. The operating base looks firmer: the 151-property portfolio was 98.7% leased, cash rent collection was 100% through July, and revenue rose 11.3% year over year.
The high yield comes alongside a rising share price. Shares are up 21.6% year to date, though they slipped 6.1% over the past week. The monthly rate has held at $0.10 since early 2023, down from roughly $0.125 in earlier years.
Gladstone Capital (GLAD): Income Covered, Price Drifting Lower
Gladstone Capital pays $0.15 monthly, or $1.80 annualized. At $18.37, that's a yield of about 9.80%. The October 23 ex-date is the deadline for the October 30 payment, and $0.15 payments are also declared for November and December.
BDCs should be measured on net investment income (NII). Fiscal third-quarter NII of $0.49 per share covered the $0.45 in quarterly distributions at about 109%, and the prior quarter's NII covered 116% of cash distributions. Credit is the item to monitor: five non-earning investments amounted to $26.7 million, or 3.1% of debt investments at fair value. The portfolio's weighted average yield was 11.8%.
Part of the yield comes from price weakness. Shares are down 3.64% year to date and 4.13% over the past month. The monthly rate was $0.165 as recently as August 2025, so the current payout already reflects one cut. We recently laid out how this payout fits within the broader Gladstone dividend lineup.
ArrowMark Financial (BANX): Monthly Checks, Thin Coverage Visibility
ArrowMark Financial pays $0.15 per share monthly, or $1.80 forward. At $19.99, the yield is about 9.0%. Shares bought before the October 23 ex-date collect the October 30 payment. The fund moved from quarterly payments of $0.45 in 2025 to a monthly schedule in 2026. Its trailing 12-month total of $2.30 includes a $0.40 December 2025 payment, so the forward rate is the better income guide.
This is the weakest quality read of the four. Recent net investment income figures for the fund are unavailable, so we can't confirm coverage of the $0.15 monthly payout here. Income buyers should check NII against distributions in the fund's latest shareholder report. The price offers some comfort: shares are down just 1.6% year to date and up 3.7% over the past year, so the yield reflects the payout itself.
First Busey (BUSE): Lowest Yield, Strongest Cushion
First Busey pays $0.26 quarterly, or $1.04 annualized. At $29.53, that equals a yield of about 3.52%. Because it pays quarterly, missing the October 23 ex-date means waiting three months for the next check.
For a bank, EPS is the right measure. Second-quarter diluted EPS of $0.69 puts the payout ratio near 38%, and the prior three quarters came in at $0.67, $0.68, and $0.64. Capital looks solid, with CET1 at 12.53% and tangible book value at $20.40 per share. The bank also bought back $128.8 million of stock year to date. The dividend has risen from $0.24 in 2024 to $0.26 in 2026.
First, Busey's lower yield partly reflects its rally: shares are up 27.79% year to date. Investors who want a monthly frequency can compare it with dividend stocks built around monthly retirement income.
Two Sessions Left Before the Cutoff
Buying a stock for one dividend rarely works as a strategy on its own, because share prices typically drop by roughly the payout amount on the ex-date. Each of these four should be judged on coverage, credit, and capital beyond October 30. The calendar is fixed: shares bought on or after October 23 won't collect this month's payment from any of them. Readers building a 30-day income frequency can also see seven more monthly payers, rounded up, in a free report.
Learn 7 Ways To Generate Income With A $1,000,000+ Portfolio
If you've saved over $1,000,000, this guide is for you. The last thing you want in retirement is to run out of money, you want your money to generate lasting income while you enjoy your life.
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