Stock splits are a relatively new phenomenon in the Indian context. It is important that investors understand the reasons that companies may split their shares and how a stock split is different from a bonus issue. In a stock split, the capital of the company remains the same whereas in a bonus issue the capital increases and the reserves decrease. However, in both actions (a stock split and a bonus) the net worth of the company remains unaffected.
Let's take the HDFC 5 for 1 stock split. This means following the stock split, the company's shares will start trading at one-fifth the price of the previous day. Consequently, you will own five times the number of shares that you originally owned and the company in turn will have five times the number of shares outstanding.Consider the following example.
The question that arises is if there is no difference to the wealth of the investor, then why does a company announce a stock split? Generally, stock splits are announced to make a scrip more liquid, more affordable to the average investor — since post the split, the share price adjusts proportionately to the split ratio.
Here, it has to be reiterated that the shares only appear to be cheaper, it makes no difference whether in the above example you buy one share for Rs 3,000 or five for Rs 600 each. However, earlier the minimum ticket size was Rs 3,000, now it is a more affordable Rs 600.
As far as the tax implications for stock splits are concerned, well, there aren't any. A stock split, like a bonus issue, is tax neutral. However, when the shares are sold, the capital gains tax implications are different that what is applicable for bonus issues. Here, the original cost of the shares also has to be reduced. For instance, in the above example if the cost of the 100 shares at Rs 1,500 per share was Rs 1,50,000, after the split the cost of 500 shares would be reduced to Rs 300 per share, thereby keeping the total cost constant at Rs 1,50,000.
