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What a Stock Split Is, Why Companies Do It, and How It Works, With an Example

what is stock split

The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. With its 2-to-1 split, Apple grants you one additional share, so you now have a total of two. The two shares have the same monetary value as the one share pre-split. System response and account access times may vary due to a variety of factors, including trading volumes, market conditions, system performance, and other factors.

Stock splits explained

If you like a stock, buy before or after a stock split -- there's no need to buy shares before a split happens. When companies opt for a stock split, they increase the overall number of outstanding shares and lower the value of each individual share. A split may reduce the price per share, but it doesn't affect the company's market capitalization. While a stock split may be perceived positively since the stock becomes accessible to more investors because of the lower how to use crypto as collateral price per share, a split alone does not change the market value of a company.

Do Mutual Funds Split like Individual Stocks?

When a company performs a forward stock split, the process is seamless for shareholders. The additional shares are automatically credited to shareholders' accounts by their brokers. The Company's transfer agent, VStock Transfer LLC, will act as the exchange agent for the reverse stock split. Stockholders holding their shares in book-entry form or in "street name" through a bank, broker, or other nominee will not need to take any action in connection with the reverse stock split. Chipotle shareholders could approve one of the largest stock splits in history at the company's annual meeting Thursday.

  1. Increasing the liquidity of a stock makes trading in the stock easier for buyers and sellers.
  2. However, some splits are seen negatively and may push the stock lower.
  3. Rather, it is simply a change in the share count or structure of a company's stock.
  4. A stock split is a way for a company to increase the number of shares outstanding without issuing new shares, an event that would dilute the value of existing shares.
  5. A stock split is a decision by a company's board of directors to increase the number of shares outstanding by issuing more shares to current shareholders.

Stock Splits 101

Mathematically, stock splits don’t mean much to stockholders, but they may signal a subtle positive confidence from management in the continued rise of the stock. Ultimately, investors should focus their attention on the performance of the business and its future prospects. These companies may not split their stock because a lower share price may attract investors who are not long-term-oriented and who would prefer to day trade rather than be owners of the business.

what is stock split

Why might a company decide to do a stock split?

For example, a common stock split ratio What are etfs is a forward 2-1 split (i.e., 2 for 1), where a stockholder would receive 2 shares for every 1 share owned. This results in an increase in the total number of shares outstanding for the company, though no change in a shareholder's proportional ownership. Normally, a stock split will reduce the price per share of each share in proportion to the increase in shares. While a stock split doesn't inherently change a company's value, it can affect market perception and liquidity. The lower share prices resulting from a split may make the stock more accessible to smaller investors, potentially broadening the shareholder base.

Apple's outstanding shares increased to over 15 billion, while the market capitalization continued to fluctuate, rising to over $3 trillion in September 2024. There's also a risk that the positive effects of a stock split may be short-lived. While splits often lead to a brief surge in stock price and trading volume, these effects tend to diminish over time. Any gains will likely be temporary if the underlying business fundamentals don't support the optimism generated. In addition to a slight boost between the announcement and the split, researchers have generally found "post-split drift," with "drift" being a term used for this and other events.

Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range highest dividend paying stocks of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. So forward splits may indicate that insiders see the stock continuing to rise, while a reverse split may indicate that the stock may continue to fall. The dividends paid by shares adjust proportionately following a stock split. In other words, you should receive the same amount of dividends after the split as you did before it. A stock split, in and of itself, will not change the monetary value of your stake in a company.

The total value of shares held by all shareholders should stay the same, maintaining the company's market value. While there’s often a perception that stock splits add value to your portfolio, that’s not exactly the case. However, if there’s renewed investor interest in the stock as a result of the split, your holdings may become more valuable over the long term as the price ticks upward. For example, a 1-for-3 reverse split is one that replaces every three shares owned by a company's investors with a single share of stock.

If you're already a shareholder in a company when it declares a stock split, not much changes. Nevertheless, it's important to grasp how stock splits work, especially for understanding how the market may react post-split. Such orders instruct the broker to sell a stock if the price goes above or below a given level. Often, people use a stop order to protect against significant losses, especially in cases where they can’t, or don’t intend to, monitor the stock price regularly. For example, companies whose stock prices fall below a certain price risk getting booted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq.