What is Stock Split Accounting? (2024)

Stock Split Accounting

Stock split accounting refers to the accounting adjustments made in a company’s financial statements and records when a stock split occurs. Remember, a stock split does not change the overall equity value of the company; it merely changes the number of shares outstanding and the par value (if any) of those shares.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of stock split accounting:

1. Journal Entries: No actual journal entry is required for a stock split in the general ledger since the total equity of the company remains unchanged. However, a memo entry might be recorded to document the change in the number of shares and the par value, if applicable.
2. Change in Number of Shares Outstanding: After the stock split, the number of shares outstanding is adjusted based on the split ratio. For a 2-for-1 split, for example, the number of shares would double.
3. Adjustment of Par Value: If the company’s stock has a par value, this value would be adjusted inversely to the split. For a 2-for-1 split, the par value per share would be halved.For example, if a company had a par value of $1 per share pre-split, post-split, the par value would become $0.50 per share.
4. Retained Earnings: There’s no change to retained earnings or any other equity account due to a stock split.
5. Capital Accounts: If the company has different classes of stock, or if it has both par value and additional paid-in capital accounts, the structure of these accounts will remain the same in total value, but the per-share amounts will be adjusted.
6. Earnings Per Share (EPS): Since the number of shares outstanding changes, previously reported EPS values might be restated in the financial statements to reflect the split, ensuring comparability across periods.
7. Dividends: If the company pays dividends, future dividends will likely be adjusted to reflect the new number of shares. For instance, if a company paid $1 per share pre-split, it might pay $0.50 post a 2-for-1 split.
8. Financial Statement Disclosure: The company’s footnotes or notes to the financial statements should disclose the occurrence of the stock split, the ratio of the split, and the number of shares affected.
9. Stock Certificates: For companies that still issue physical stock certificates (though this is rare nowadays), existing shareholders would need to exchange their old certificates for new ones that reflect the increased number of shares due to the split.

It’s crucial to understand that, from an accounting standpoint, a stock split is a purely cosmetic change. The total value of the shareholders’ equity remains the same; it’s just distributed over a different number of shares.

Example of Stock Split Accounting

Let’s delve into a simplified hypothetical example to illustrate the stock split accounting adjustments.

Prestige Corp.:

• Pre-split stock details:
  • Number of shares outstanding: 500,000
  • Par value per share: $10
  • Stock price: $100
  • Common stock account (in equity section): $5,000,000 (500,000 shares x $10 par value)
  • Retained earnings: $10,000,000

Prestige Corp. decides to conduct a 2-for-1 stock split.

Post-Split Adjustments:

• Shares Outstanding:
  • Pre-split: 500,000
  • Post-split: 1,000,000 (500,000 x 2)
• Par Value:
  • Pre-split: $10
  • Post-split: $5 (because of the 2-for-1 split, the par value is halved)
• Common Stock Account:
  • Despite the change in the number of shares and par value, the common stock account remains the same in total value.
  • Pre-split: $5,000,000 (500,000 shares x $10)
  • Post-split: $5,000,000 (1,000,000 shares x $5)
• Retained Earnings:
  • There is no change to this account due to the stock split.
  • Remains at $10,000,000 both pre- and post-split.
• Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Dividends:
  • Assume Prestige Corp. reported an EPS of $4 before the split. This would be restated to $2 post-split for comparability.
  • If Prestige Corp. had declared dividends of $2 per share pre-split, future dividend declarations might be adjusted to $1 per share post-split.

Memo Entry: Though no formal journal entry is made in the ledger for the stock split, a memo might be added to note the event:

• “Prestige Corp. conducted a 2-for-1 stock split on [specific date]. The number of shares outstanding doubled, and the par value per share was halved.”

Financial Statement Disclosure: In the annual or quarterly report, a note would be added:

• “On [specific date], Prestige Corp. conducted a 2-for-1 stock split. As a result, all share and per-share amounts have been adjusted to reflect this split.”

Remember, the key takeaway from this example is that, while the number of shares outstanding and the par value per share change, the total equity of Prestige Corp. remains the same. The stock split simply divides the equity pie into more, smaller slices without altering the total value of the pie.