What is a stock split and does it change what my shares are worth?

A stock split is a corporate action that changes the number of shares outstanding without changing the total value of the company or of your holding. In a forward split — the most common kind — a company divides each existing share into several. In a classic 2-for-1 split, every share becomes two and the price per share halves; in a 10-for-1 split, one share becomes ten and the price falls to a tenth. Your total investment is unchanged: ten shares at $100 and one hundred shares at $10 are worth exactly the same $1,000.

If splits do not change value, why do companies bother? The main reason is accessibility. When a single share costs several thousand dollars, it can feel out of reach to smaller retail investors and can complicate round-lot trading and options contracts. Splitting the price down to a more approachable range widens the potential shareholder base and can improve day-to-day liquidity. High-profile technology names have used splits for exactly this reason after long bull runs pushed their share prices very high.

A reverse split works the other way: shares are consolidated, so a 1-for-10 reverse split turns ten shares into one and multiplies the price tenfold. Companies use reverse splits to lift a very low share price — often to meet an exchange's minimum-price listing requirement or to shed the stigma of trading as a 'penny stock'. Because reverse splits are frequently associated with struggling businesses, the market often views them warily, whereas forward splits are usually read as a sign of past success.

The key date is the effective date (or ex-split date), when the new share count and adjusted price take effect. Brokerages handle the mechanics automatically — you do not need to do anything, and your position is updated overnight. Historical price charts are also adjusted retroactively so that the split does not appear as a sudden crash or spike.

It is important to separate the mechanics from the narrative. Academically, a split is value-neutral. In practice, splits sometimes attract fresh attention and buying interest, and studies have noted modest momentum around split announcements — but this is a behavioural effect, not a change in the underlying business. The recent and upcoming splits listed below let you track this specific corporate action across major US names; because genuine splits are relatively rare events, this list is naturally shorter than an earnings or dividend calendar.