The "XD" designation on a ticker symbol means that the stock is ex-dividend and will not include the upcoming dividend payout in its price. This can be helpful for investors to know so that they can factor in the expected drop in price when making their investment decisions.When a company declares a dividend, the stock price usually drops by an amount equal to the dividend payout. This is because shareholders are given less ownership in the company once the dividend is paid out.For example, if a company has 100 shares of stock outstanding and declares a $1 per share dividend, then there are now only 99 shares outstanding.