Chairman Downplays 'Instant Fill' Hype as Wistron Fills 30% of Dividend but Turns Negative Early, Down Over 3%

Wistron (3231-TW) commenced ex-dividend trading today, distributing a cash dividend of NT$5.5006 per share, with an ex-dividend reference price set at NT$150. The stock opened flat at NT$150 and quickly rose to NT$152, achieving over 36% of dividend fill. However, it soon reversed into negative territory and entered a discount phase.

In early trading, Wistron opened at NT$150 and briefly climbed to NT$152, filling more than 36% of the dividend gap. However, the stock then turned bearish, dropping as low as NT$145. By 11:00 a.m., the share price was hovering around NT$146, down over 2%, remaining in a discount state, with trading volume exceeding 41,000 lots.

Wistron originally planned to distribute a cash dividend of NT$5.5 per share, amounting to a total payout of NT$17.492 billion. However, due to the repurchase of restricted employee stock rights, the number of outstanding shares decreased while the total dividend payout remained unchanged, slightly increasing the per-share dividend to NT$5.5006. The ex-dividend date is July 14, with cash dividends scheduled for disbursement on July 31.

Chairman Lin Hsien-ming stated yesterday (July 7) that he is not overly concerned about whether the stock achieves an 'instant fill' of the dividend. He emphasized that what matters more is whether the company’s fundamentals are improving. He noted that market demand for AI applications and sovereign AI has recently increased, and the concept of paying for token consumption is gaining market acceptance, indicating that the value generated by AI is now being recognized. Additionally, Wistron maintains a positive outlook for the second half of the year, with continued demand in the U.S. market and gradually emerging demand in other regions.