How does a stock behave after reverse split?
A reverse stock split consolidates the number of existing shares of stock held by shareholders into fewer shares. A reverse stock split does not directly impact a company's value (only its stock price). It can signal a company in distress since it raises the value of otherwise low-priced shares.
A reverse stock split decreases the number of outstanding shares and proportionately increases the price per share of those outstanding shares. This process differs from a forward stock split, where the number of shares increases and the share price declines post-split.
Selling before a reverse stock split is a good idea, but selling after the reverse stock split is not. Since you can sell before and after a reverse stock split, selling during one is optional. The main advantage of selling before the reverse stock split is that you don't have to wait around for it to happen.
In fact, the company's market capitalization, equal to shares outstanding multiplied by the price per share, isn't affected by a stock split. If the number of shares increases, the share price will decrease by a proportional amount. If a stock traded at $100 previously, it will trade at $50 after a 2-for-1 split.
Those partial shares will then be turned into cash and returned to the investors. For large institutional investors such as mutual funds or pension funds it results in only a small amount of cash because the fund has merged all the investors shares together.
The reverse stock split doesn't cause investors to lose money by itself, but the move can signal to investors that the company is in financial trouble, which can lead to a sell-off. This will lower the value of the stock price, and stockholders will lose money.
Reverse Splits Aren't All Bad
There are examples of stocks that have prospered after doing so, including Citigroup (C).
If you own 50 shares of a company valued at $10 per share, your investment is worth $500. In a 1-for-5 reverse stock split, you would instead own 10 shares (divide the number of your shares by five) and the share price would increase to $50 per share (multiply the share price by five).
One way is to buy shares of the company before the reverse split occurs with the plan to sell them soon afterwards. This can be profitable if the company's stock price increases after the split. Another way to make money from a reverse stock split is to short sell the stock of the company.
A stock split does not change the value of a stock because it does not change the fundamentals or growth prospects of the underlying company.
Is it good or bad when a stock splits?
While a stock split doesn't change the value of your investment, it's generally a good sign for investors. In most cases it means that the company is confident about its position going forward, and that it wants to seek additional investment.
Some companies may only conduct a reverse split once, while others may do it multiple times. Reverse splits are more common among small-cap stocks than large-cap stocks.
On the other side of the spectrum, a company may decide to issue a reverse split to minimize the outstanding shares, float and liquidity. This action basically merges existing shares.
While a standard forward stock split is generally considered bullish, a reverse stock split is typically considered bearish.
An Important Cue from Financial Execs
On the flipside, a reverse split is done to reduce the number of outstanding shares and thus increase the price of a stock that has fallen and is perhaps at risk of being delisted. This move is typically seen as bearish for the company, and the stock often moves lower as a result.
Disadvantages of a Stock Split
A company cannot rely on a stock split to increase its value or market cap. A stock split divides the existing shares, thus keeping the market cap the same as before. Not to forget, a company must invest some amount to conduct a stock split.
Some investors may associate a low share price with poor performance, low quality, or high risk. A reverse split can create a psychological effect of increasing the perceived value and prestige of the shares, which may attract more institutional investors, analysts, and media attention.
A company may declare a reverse stock split in an effort to increase the trading price of its shares – for example, when it believes the trading price is too low to attract investors to purchase shares, or in an attempt to regain compliance with minimum bid price requirements of an exchange on which its shares trade.
- Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is the most expensive stock on this list on a per-share basis. ...
- Deckers Outdoor (NYSE:DECK) is another that needs a stock split. ...
- Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is no stranger to the spotlight after gaining almost 2,000% over the past five years.
A stock split increases the number of shares outstanding and lowers the individual value of each share. While the number of shares outstanding change, the overall market capitalization of the company and the value of each shareholder's stake remains the same.
What is an example of a reverse stock split?
Again, let's use a recent example. On August 24, 2023, AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) completed a 1-for-10 reverse stock split. That means that for every 10 shares owned, AMC stakeholders were issued one new share. If they previously had 100 shares, they now had just 10 shares.
One way is to buy shares of the company before the reverse split occurs with the plan to sell them soon afterwards. This can be profitable if the company's stock price increases after the split. Another way to make money from a reverse stock split is to short sell the stock of the company.
A reverse stock split may be used to reduce the number of shareholders. If a company completes a reverse split in which 1 new share is issued for every 100 old shares, any investor holding fewer than 100 shares would simply receive a cash payment.
Can you make money from reverse stock splits? A reverse stock split isn't usually a get-rich-quick ploy, but it could lead to greater rewards for savvy investors. In some cases, reverse splits can increase investor confidence and potentially boost the price of a stock as more investors take interest and snap up shares.
Priceline.com (BKNG 0.06%) is the biggest winner. It went through a 1-for-6 reverse split in 2003 when the online travel portal was flopping around after the dot-com bubble burst. Priceline has since become an 85-bagger -- not a bad haul over the past 14 years.
