This paper investigates the effect of liquidity on the ex-dividend day price premium. It is well documented that prices drop less than the dividend amount on the ex-day; this market inefficiency is generally attributed to the tax-induced clientele effect and various structural frictions. We show that, even in a tax-free market characterized by the presence of large block holders and the absence of the usual microstructure impediments, abnormal returns persist. Using a newly defined free-float adjusted measure of market fluidity, we find that liquidity is economically and statistically significant in the determination of the ex-dividend day price anomaly, indicating that trading restrictions can partially explain the ex-dividend return puzzle.