Stock splits are the result of basically two types of conditions. One is when the company’s stock price is too low, and another one is when it’s too high. If the share price is too high, then the company will opt for a stock split, and on the other hand, if the stock price is too low, it will opt for the reverse stock split. We will discuss the definition of both and their key difference later in this article.
The stock split helps the company to create opportunities for new investors by lowering its share price whereas, the reverse stock split allows the company to stay in the major stock exchange by increasing its share price if it is too low. In this article, we will deeply discuss stock splits, reverse stock splits, and the impact of stock split on your investment portfolio.
What are stock splits?
The mechanism of stock splits refers to issuing more number of shares in a manner that it will not affect the value of their stakes. The company’s board members collectively take the decision of stock splits and whether it is right to split the stocks or not. After a stock split, the current shareholder gets more shares, but each share’s value decreases so that company’s overall valuation and shareholder’s stake remain the same.
For example, currently, you are holding 100 shares of a company at $10 each, which means your overall investment in the company is $1000. Now, if the company announced a 2-for-1 stock split, then the 100 shares you were holding become 200 shares, and the price per share decreased to $5. Still, your overall investment will be $1000, which remains unaffected.
What are reverse stock splits?
As the name suggests, a reverse stock split is just opposite to a stock split. The company reduces the number of shares of stock by increasing the price per share. So, if we continue with the previous example, the 100 shares you were holding will become 50 shares after a 2-for-1 reverse stock split. And the value of each share will be $20; the total value of your investment remains $1000.
How do stock splits work?
A stock split occurs when a company’s present shares are broken into several shares. Essentially, companies split their shares to decrease the stock’s trading price to a suitable standard to the benefit of the industry while simultaneously enhancing the stock’s liquidity.
Rather than ten shares of a $500 stock, most investors would prefer to acquire 500 shares of a $10 stock. As a result, when a company’s stock price has increased dramatically, many public businesses may decide to declare a stock split in order to lower the price to a more popular trading price. Although a stock split increases the number of outstanding shares, the aggregate monetary worth of the shares stays constant from before the split since the split adds no actual value.
The fair value of shares changed automatically when a stock split took place. A company’s board of members may opt to split its shares in a variety of ways.
Why split a stock?
Splits stocks create an increase in the number of shares of a corporation’s stock without a change in the equity of its shareholders. Companies frequently divide their stock to make it more accessible to investors. A stock split, unlike issuing new shares, does not diminish current shareholders’ ownership interests.
If you hold 100 shares of a firm that trades at $100 per share and the company announces a two-for-one stock split, you will immediately own 200 shares at $50 per share. If the corporation declares a dividend, your dividends per share will decrease proportionally.
This is for a variety of convincing reasons. For starters, a stock split is usually done when the price of the stock is somewhat high, making a regular board lot of 100 shares prohibitively costly for investors.
Second, a more significant number of outstanding shares might signify more liquidity for the firm, which can make trading simpler and could decrease the bid-ask spread. Increasing the liquidity of stock allows buyers and sellers to trade it more easily. Liquidity permits investors to buy and sell shares in the firm without affecting the share price significantly. Adding liquidity to a company’s share repurchase programme can help it avoid trading slippage. This might result in significant stock price drops for some companies.
While a stock split should theoretically have no effect on its price, it typically results in fresh investor interest, which can help the stock price rise. While this effect is only temporary, blue-chip firms’ stock splits are a fantastic means for the average investor to accumulate a bigger number of shares in these companies.
Many of the finest firms outperform the price at which their stock was previously divided, prompting another stock split.
A stock split is a mechanism used by companies to achieve a certain goal in a variety of situations, and the creator of Invested Development, a school that teaches women how to invest.
Companies frequently appreciate the idea of increasing liquidity by making a price more appealing and accessible to a wider audience.
A reverse stock split, on the other hand, is frequently used to assist a company in meeting the minimum requirements to be listed on an exchange.
If your price falls too low, you may be thrown off the exchange. However, a reverse stock split consolidates your shares, resulting in a higher per-share price that allows you to continue trading on a public exchange.
This makes it easier for additional investors to get their hands on the stock and keeps existing shares liquid. So while a reverse stock split is frequently seen as a red warning by investors, it can actually help a firm survive and recover from a hard phase in the long run.
How does a stock split affect an investor?
Because a stock split does not affect the fundamental value of your investment, you may not notice any significant changes in your investment account other than the number of shares.
Those who currently own shares gain no additional benefits. Nothing is going to change in terms of ownership. You may have twice as many shares, but they are half the price. Thus the equation is balanced.
A stock split, on the other hand, can motivate individuals who aren’t currently stockholders to invest. For example, if you couldn’t afford a Tesla share before the company’s recent stock split, you might be able to now.
The capacity for more individuals to buy a stock can raise its price, which can, at least briefly, boost a company’s value.
With more individuals able to purchase, there will be more demand, and the price will rise. If you have more shares, holding on to them can be beneficial to you. However, the increase in stock and total worth is usually just ephemeral. Long-term gains are usually obtained by owning a stock for an extended period of time.
Is a stock split good or bad?
Some analysts believe that as fractional investing grows more popular and ubiquitous, stock splits will become less essential because fractional shares allow you to invest in a firm at nearly any price point.
Currently, clients can acquire fractional shares of certain stocks and exchange-traded funds through investing apps like ABinvesting. Is the broker a scam? No, the broker is highly regulated with reputed financial authorities and in fact, it has been awarded for fair trading policies and offering the most favorable trading environment to its clients.
Because there isn’t a lot of data now, it’s difficult to determine how fractional investment will affect investing and stock splits. However, I believe that fractional investment will take a long time to eliminate the necessity for stock splits.
That isn’t even taking into account the psychological impact of stock splits. According to Holden, humans like round numbers. As a result, many investors are motivated by the knowledge that they have enough money to purchase a complete share.
Bottom Line
Although the split increases the number of outstanding shares, the overall value of the company remains unchanged. As a result, the stock price will adjust downward to reflect the company’s current market capitalization. In addition, new dividends will be adjusted in kind if a corporation pays dividends. Non-dilutive splits also mean that stockholders keep the same voting rights they had before the split.
You can trade stocks and get trading alerts while trading with one of the best brokerage firms: ABinvesting.
Finally, a stock split, or even a reverse stock split, has little influence on a company’s current shareholders. The main impact of a stock split is on investors who are watching stock and expecting to buy an entire share at a lower price. A stock split can be a tremendous stimulus for those investors who have been sitting on the sidelines.
