Corporate Actions Guide: Stock Splits & Reverse Stock Splits
Overview of Corporate Actions
Corporate actions are key events that companies trigger to make changes that can affect their securities. These actions might be aimed at rewarding shareholders, adjusting the company’s capital structure, or responding to operational shifts. Examples include stock splits, dividend payouts, mergers, and more.
Understanding corporate actions is important because they can impact both the number and value of your investments. In this guide, we’ll walk you through two common types—Stock Splits and Reverse Stock Splits—and show you how to handle them easily on the platform.
Corporate actions are generally classified into two types:
Mandatory: These corporate actions occur automatically, and no action is required from shareholders. The company implements the changes on its own.
Voluntary: These corporate actions offer options to shareholders, requiring them to choose from different courses of action.
Corporate Action Types: Stock Split & Reverse Stock Split
Corporate Action Type | Definition | How It Affects Price | How It Affects Quantity |
---|---|---|---|
📈 Stock Split | The company divides its existing shares into multiple new shares. | Price per share decreases based on the split ratio (e.g., in a 2-for-1 split, the price is halved). | The number of shares you own increases based on the split ratio (e.g., in a 2-for-1 split, you get 2 shares for every 1 you own). |
🔻Reverse Stock Split | The company consolidates its shares into fewer shares. | Price per share increases based on the reverse split ratio (e.g., in a 1-for-2 reverse split, the price doubles). | The number of shares you own decreases based on the reverse split ratio (e.g., in a 1-for-2 reverse split, you get 1 share for every 2 you hold). |
Essential Fields for Corporate Action Management
Field | Description | |
---|---|---|
1 | Instrument | The unique identifier for the security (e.g., ticker symbol or ISIN). |
2 | Ratio From | The original ratio of shares before the corporate action. For instance, in a stock split, this might be the number of shares a shareholder initially holds. |
3 | Fraction Handling Method | The method used to deal with fractional shares resulting from the corporate action. Options:
|
4 | Price Adjustment | Adjusts the historical price of the original instrument from the Action Date using the adjustment coefficient. |
5 | Action Date | The date the corporate action takes effect. |
6 | Announcement Date | The date the corporate action is announced to the public or shareholders. |
7 | Ratio To | The new ratio after the corporate action has been completed. |
8 | Compensation Price | The price at which fractional shares will be compensated, if applicable. |
9 | Price Adjustment Factor | A coefficient used to adjust historical prices of the instrument from the Action Date to reflect the impact of the corporate action. |
10 | Adjustment Days | Defines the number of days before the Action Date that historical prices should be adjusted. |
How to Create a Corporate Action Record for Stock Split
How to Create a Corporate Action Record for Reverse Stock Split
Add label