Tesla has designated August 25 as the day for trading split shares. Friday afternoon, Tesla disclosed the timing of its long-awaited stock split in an SEC filing. Shareholders will get two additional shares for each share held on August 24 at market close. The split-adjusted price will subsequently be applied to Tesla shares when the market opens on August 25. Follow For More Updates at Rapiddnews.com
Thursday evening, Tesla shareholders at the company’s annual stockholders meeting in Austin, Texas, voted to approve the 3-for-1 stock split. The board of directors moved swiftly to announce the stock split and confirm the poll findings. Those who were unable to attend the meeting in person were permitted to vote by proxy or online in the weeks preceding the event.
On Friday, Tesla (TSLA) stock finished at $864.51. If the stock split were to occur at this price, each share would be valued at $288.17, and there would be three times as many shares in circulation.
Below, we will discuss what a stock split is, how it affects investors and the share price, and why corporations may pursue a stock split.
What is a split of stock?
A stock split reduces the size of existing shares to make them more accessible. This causes the total number of shares to increase and the stock price to decrease. A stock split might be compared to someone slicing a freshly baked pizza; slicing the pizza into pieces does not alter the pizza in any fundamental way; it simply makes it easier to share and consume.
In other words, imagine the 3-to-1 stock split for a $300 share of stock. On the day of the stock split, if you possessed one share of the corporation, your $300 share would be converted into three $100 shares.
What effect do splits have on options?
Options are affected similarly to shares, provided they expire after the split date. For instance, if a 3-to-1 split occurs on a $900 strike call, the result would be three $300 strike calls. This scenario provides you with greater freedom in deciding whether to exercise or sell.
Why do corporations split stock?
A firm may split its stock for a variety of strategic reasons. Typically, a corporation anticipates substantial development in the future and desires to maintain an accessible share price for ordinary investors. Additionally, the stock becomes more available to Tesla employees who get equity-based remuneration.
There may be additional strategic objectives. For example, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) is a notable price-weighted stock index. Due to the fact that stock price directly influences the index’s weighting, this component is being examined for inclusion in the Dow. Companies with high share prices may not be accepted if their presence would significantly alter the weighting.
Stock splits should not be confused with public offers of stock, in which the firm issues new shares for sale to the public in order to acquire capital for the business.
Do stock splits increase the price of shares?
Fundamentally, a stock split should not affect the price of the stock. According to Reuters, Bank of America research indicates that companies that split their stock perform approximately 16 percent better than other companies in the 12 months following a stock split.
However, this may be an indirect relationship and may be partially or entirely due to the company’s growth and other causes. Stock splits typically indicate a company’s expansion and confidence. However, people who trade stocks and options frequently take advantage of the split scenario for trading purposes, which can cause significant market volatility before and after the split.
How will Tesla split its stock?
Tesla and its shareholders will need to complete a few extra procedures for this stock split compared to the last one, when the board merely announced its decision on August 11, 2020, and divided the shares on August 31, 2020.
The SEC enforces a limit on the number of shares that publicly traded businesses are permitted to have in circulation. Tesla is nearing its capacity after its previous split and public sale (in December 2020) and can only execute a 2-to-1 split without shareholder approval under existing conditions.
The board of directors will then vote to approve a stock split, which will likely be announced shortly thereafter. The stockholders will receive a share dividend to complete the split. For example, in a 3-to-1 split, you will receive two additional shares for each share you owned as of the record date. It is vital to highlight that this is a one-time share dividend, as opposed to the more common regular cash dividends.