ETD declares $3 special dividend with nearly 10% of float sold short

Ethan Allen Interiors declared a $3.00 special cash dividend on August 19, 2026, payable September 17, 2026. This is a one-time payout on top of any regular dividend schedule.

Holders on the record date receive the $3.00 per share in cash. Short sellers face the opposite: they owe a payment in lieu — the dividend amount paid to whoever lent them the shares — on every share they have borrowed. With short interest at 9.74% of the free float and around 2.3 million shares sold short, that liability adds up across the short base. Cost to borrow sits at 0.54% annually, meaning the borrow itself is cheap, but the $3.00 payment-in-lieu obligation is separate and falls on anyone holding a short position through the record date.