Stock Splits as a Value Creation Vehicle

Abstract

Stock splits have been for a long time a puzzling phenomenon that can bear particular consequences for stock’s liquidity as well as for a stock price. I perform an analysis of stock splits accomplished between 2000 and May 2011 inclusive by companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. I seek to identify whether the stock splits under consideration constitute any signal to existing and potential shareholders and whether the stock split can add value to shareholders’ wealth. I use three methods to analyze the impact of splits on subsequent price performance of 629 stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange, i.e. mean adjusted return method, market model method and market adjusted return method. The data used contain daily rates of return and the event window encompasses the time period of [40;+40], i.e. the interval from the 40th stock exchange trading session preceding the stock split to the 40th session after the stock split, as well as the first session after the stock split. In the wake of the stock split the volatility of abnormal returns as measured with standard deviation declines under three methods employed by: 6.58%, 46.71%, and 48.24%, respectively. This fact is indicative of benefits derived from splitting the shares, e.g. stabilization of the share price and consequently a change in stock’s risk–return profile. In turn, it can alter market participants’ perception of a given stock. What is more, shareholders’ gains as measured with cumulative abnormal rates of return, all 1–percent significant, reached within the event window outperform pre-split benefits, i.e. achieved as a result of a buy–and–hold strategy within the time frame of [–40;–1] as well as those attained in the post–split era, i.e. in the interval [+1:+40], using the same strategy. Investors who pursued the first strategy averaged with the cumulative abnormal rates of returns for three methods used at the level of: 41.76%, 15.28%, and 39.77%, respectively. Therefore the stock split can be viewed as a value creation vehicle. On the other hand, these findings show that managers that expect an improvement in financial health of their companies decide to split the shares thus conveying information what, in turn, is congruent with the signaling hypothesis. Moreover, in the aftermath of the stock split one may observe a substantial increase in the stock price what underlines the fact that stock splits are in general good news.