This study examines the impact of reducing tick size and, in particular decimalization on stock splits. Based on previous studies, this study examines hypotheses in the following three areas: first, market reaction around stock split announcement and ex-dates, second, the effect of tick size on liquidity after stock split ex-dates, and third, the effect of tick size on return volatility after stock split ex-dates. The impact of tick size on market reaction around split announcement and ex-dates is measured by abnormal returns and buy and hold abnormal returns (BHARs). Also, this study investigates the long term impact of decimalization on market reaction for small, medium, and large firms for the three different tick size periods. The effect of tick size on liquidity after stock split ex-dates is measured by turnover, relative bid ask spread, and market maker count. The effect of tick size on return volatility around stock split announcement and ex-dates is measured by return standard deviation. Also, this study investigates the long term impact of decimalization on volatility after split ex-dates for small, medium, and large firms for three different tick size periods.

<p>Stock splits are supposed to be financial cosmetics. However, this study shows that such corporate events have impact on ownership structure. This study exploits unique data from Swedish Central Security Registration regarding ownership and analyzes the ownership structures in stock splitting firms. Our data consists of exclu-sive semi-annually reported ownership structures of companies listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange. We categorize stock owners as domestic institutional investors, foreign investors and domestic individual investors. The information on ultimate ownership composition in listed companies is rare and more or less exquisite for Sweden.Our results confirm positive abnormal returns surrounding the announcement of stock splits and stock dividends. Moreover, we find evidence on changes in owner-ship structure as well as number of shareholders. The results show evidence on decreasing ownership concentration due to the stock split, which implies a more dispersed ownership structure.</p>

Stock splits are supposed to be financial cosmetics. However, this study shows that such corporate events have impact on ownership structure. This study exploits unique data from Swedish Central Security Registration regarding ownership and analyzes the ownership structures in stock splitting firms. Our data consists of exclu-sive semi-annually reported ownership structures of companies listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange. We categorize stock owners as domestic institutional investors, foreign investors and domestic individual investors. The information on ultimate ownership composition in listed companies is rare and more or less exquisite for Sweden.Our results confirm positive abnormal returns surrounding the announcement of stock splits and stock dividends. Moreover, we find evidence on changes in owner-ship structure as well as number of shareholders. The results show evidence on decreasing ownership concentration due to the stock split, which implies a more dispersed ownership structure.

Eventos puramente cosméticos como o desdobramento ou grupamento de ações não deveriam gerar modificações no preço de mercado das empresas que realizaram tais operações. Porém, inúmeros estudos realizados nos mercados internacionais indicam que existem retornos anormais no preço das ações para tais eventos. Foi verificada a reação do mercado brasileiro aos grupamentos de ações que ocorreram entre 1986 e 2007 através do método de estudo de eventos. Os resultados indicam que não há retorno anormal nos preços das ações e que o evento possui efeitos puramente cosméticos no mercado acionário brasileiro, divergindo dos estudos realizados ao redor do mundo, predominantemente no mercado americano. Tal fato pode ocorrer pelas diferenças institucionais entre os dois países. / Purely cosmetic events such as the split or inplits should not generate changes in market prices of companies that performed such operations. However, numerous studies in international markets indicate that there are abnormal returns in the stock price for such events. It was found that the reaction of the Brazilian market to groups of actions that occurred between 1986 and 2007 by the method of study events. The results indicate that there are no abnormal returns in stock prices for these events in the national market. These results indicate that the event is purely cosmetic in the Brazilian equity market which differs from studies conducted in other markets, but predominantly in the U.S. market, and this fact can occur by the difference in institutional settings between the two countries.

Eventos puramente cosméticos como o desdobramento ou grupamento de ações não deveriam gerar modificações no preço de mercado das empresas que realizaram tais operações. Porém, inúmeros estudos realizados nos mercados internacionais indicam que existem retornos anormais no preço das ações para tais eventos. Foi verificada a reação do mercado brasileiro aos grupamentos de ações que ocorreram entre 1986 e 2007 através do método de estudo de eventos. Os resultados indicam que não há retorno anormal nos preços das ações e que o evento possui efeitos puramente cosméticos no mercado acionário brasileiro, divergindo dos estudos realizados ao redor do mundo, predominantemente no mercado americano. Tal fato pode ocorrer pelas diferenças institucionais entre os dois países. / Purely cosmetic events such as the split or inplits should not generate changes in market prices of companies that performed such operations. However, numerous studies in international markets indicate that there are abnormal returns in the stock price for such events. It was found that the reaction of the Brazilian market to groups of actions that occurred between 1986 and 2007 by the method of study events. The results indicate that there are no abnormal returns in stock prices for these events in the national market. These results indicate that the event is purely cosmetic in the Brazilian equity market which differs from studies conducted in other markets, but predominantly in the U.S. market, and this fact can occur by the difference in institutional settings between the two countries.

Eventos puramente cosméticos como o desdobramento ou grupamento de ações não deveriam gerar modificações no preço de mercado das empresas que realizaram tais operações. Porém, inúmeros estudos realizados nos mercados internacionais indicam que existem retornos anormais no preço das ações para tais eventos. Foi verificada a reação do mercado brasileiro aos grupamentos de ações que ocorreram entre 1986 e 2007 através do método de estudo de eventos. Os resultados indicam que não há retorno anormal nos preços das ações e que o evento possui efeitos puramente cosméticos no mercado acionário brasileiro, divergindo dos estudos realizados ao redor do mundo, predominantemente no mercado americano. Tal fato pode ocorrer pelas diferenças institucionais entre os dois países. / Purely cosmetic events such as the split or inplits should not generate changes in market prices of companies that performed such operations. However, numerous studies in international markets indicate that there are abnormal returns in the stock price for such events. It was found that the reaction of the Brazilian market to groups of actions that occurred between 1986 and 2007 by the method of study events. The results indicate that there are no abnormal returns in stock prices for these events in the national market. These results indicate that the event is purely cosmetic in the Brazilian equity market which differs from studies conducted in other markets, but predominantly in the U.S. market, and this fact can occur by the difference in institutional settings between the two countries.

Denna studies syfte är att testa om det finns ett statistiskt samband mellan det nominella aktiepriset och ex-dagseffekten på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. Ett tydligt samband skulle därmed vara ett ytterligare motiv till företagens beslut om genomförandet av aktiesplit för att revidera aktiens nominella pris. Studiens hypotes lyder därför att det finns ett negativt samband mellan det nominella aktiepriset och ex-dagseffekten, som visats i tidigare studie på den amerikanska börsen NYSE. Studien har genomförts i positivistisk tradition genom statistiska analyser och tester för att klargöra ett eventuellt samband mellan den beroende variabeln ex-dagseffekten och den oberoende variabeln nominella priset. All empirisk data har hämtats från databasen Thomson Reuter Datastream, sammanställts i Excel kalkylblad, analyserats i statistikprogrammet MiniTab och redovisats i två uppsättningar. Studiens resultat visar inget samband mellan det nominella priset och ex-dagseffekten under perioden 2011 till 2015. Nollhypotesen kan inte förkastas och resultaten indikerar försumbar korrelation och förklaringsgrad genom regression. Resultatet är annorlunda från en tidigare studie som konstaterat ett tydligt samband mellan samma variabler på börsen i USA. Det teoretiska bidraget består främst av besvarandet av studiens syfte där det nominella prisets betydelse ter sig annorlunda på den svenska marknaden mot den amerikanska. Det praktiska bidraget från studien ger företagsledare för börsnoterade bolag samt fondbolag och aktörer på den finansiella marknaden en utökad kunskap om rådande förhållanden på marknaden för att förbättra beslutsunderlaget vid eventuella aktiesplittar eller investeringar. Som förslag till fortsatt forskning uppmuntras det att undersöka huruvida det nominella prisets betydelse skiljer sig mellan olika marknader. Förslagsvis kan framtida studier mäta effektiviteten på stockholmsbörsen på dagen för aktiesplit som också i teorin är en mätbar händelse på de finansiella marknaderna under rätt förutsättningar. / The aim of this study is to test for a correlated connection between the nominal stockprice and the price-drop-to-dividend ratio on the Swedish stock market Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. A strong correlated connection would be another motive for company managers to implement a stock split to reduce the nominal stock price. Therefore the hypothesis of the study is that there is a negative correlation between the two variables, just as shown in a recent study on the American stockmarket NYSE. This study has been computed with a positivistic approach through statistical tests and analysis to discover an eventual correlated connection between the dependent variable price-drop-to-dividend ratio and the independent variable nominal price. All empirical data was collected from Thomson Reuter Datastream, compiled in Excel worksheet, analyzed with statistical software MiniTab and presented in two sets of data. The result of this study shows no correlated connection between the nominal stock price and the pricedrop-to-dividend ratio during the period of 2011 to 2015. The null hypothesis can not be rejected and the results of the analysis indicate negligible correlation and coefficient of determination through regression, regardless which sets of data observed. The result is different to a recent study which has shown a significant correlated connection between the same two variables on the American stock market NYSE. The theoretical contribution comprises foremost of answering the aim of the study where the nominal prices impact acts differently on the Swedish stock market compared to the American. Also a presenting of the mean value of price-fall-to-dividend ratio for the period examined is a theoretical contribution. The practical contribution from this study give managers for listed companies along with fund managers and operators on the financial markets an increased knowledge about current influences on the market which improves their ability to make decisions about stock split and future investments. For future studies we suggest to do more research on how the impact of nominal prices differ among markets. Tentatively future research can measure the stockholm market efficiency on the day of stocksplit which according to theory is another measureable event on the financial markets under the right circumstances.

Sammanfattning En omvänd aktiesplit ska inte ha någon direkt påverkan på ett företags värdering. Värdet är detsamma oavsett om företaget har fem utestående aktier á tjugo kronor eller en aktie á hundra kronor. Det är endast aktiepriset och antalet aktier som förändras. Dock kan informationen och genomförandet av en omvänd aktiesplit resultera i onormala reaktioner från investerare som får konsekvenser på aktiekursen, trots att själva händelsen är av en kosmetisk karaktär och kan definieras som icke-ekonomisk. Vilka effekter har då en omvänd aktiesplit på aktiekursen? Hur tolkar marknaden denna information? Och vilka motiv har företag till att genomföra en omvänd aktiesplit? Studien undersöker totalt 108 omvända aktiesplitar som genomförts på Stockholmsbörsen och First North Stockholm, under åren 2005 till 2018. Undersökningen sker genom en eventstudie och avvikande avkastning studeras på kort och lång sikt. Tidigare studier undersöker huvudsakligen två faser, annonsering samt genomförande. I denna studie undersöks fyra faser då företag presenterar information angående omvänd aktiesplit. Förslags-, besluts-, pressmeddelande- samt genomförandefasen. Anledningen till detta är för att kunna studera i vilken fas den kraftigaste marknadsreaktionen sker. Avvikande avkastning studeras baserat på splitfaktor. Utöver detta studeras även likviditet och risk både innan och efter genomförandet. De centrala teorierna som behandlas är prisintervall, effektiva marknadshypotesen och signalteori. Tidigare studier har visat att en omvänd aktiesplit generellt sätt resulterar i en negativ kursreaktion och medför en negativ avvikande avkastning. I denna undersökning finner vi likvärdiga resultat där den kraftigaste reaktionen sker vid genomförandet. Vi finner även en generell negativ avkastning under annonseringsfaserna, intressant är dock att den minsta reaktionen inträffar då den första informationen delges marknaden. En högre splitfaktor tenderar även att resultera i en mer negativ avvikande avkastning. På lite längre sikt tenderar aktiekursutvecklingen överlag att vara negativ. Undersökningens resultat visar även att både likviditet och volatilitet stiger efter genomförandet av en omvänd aktiesplit. Detta är inte helt i linje med tidigare studier då de generellt uppvisar en ökad likviditet men en minskad volatilitet. / Abstract A reverse stock split should not have any direct effect on a company’s valuation since the total value is the same whether the company has five stocks for twenty SEK each, or one stock for a hundred SEK. However, a reverse stock split tend to result in abnormal market reactions. This study investigates the effects on the stock price surrounding a reverse stock split and in the long run. The markets which are investigated are Stockholm Stock Exchange and First North Stockholm, during the period 2005 to 2018. Furthermore, the study examines whether abnormal returns exists around the announcement days and the ex-day, and if there is a connection between abnormal returns and split ratios. Liquidity and volatility changes due to the reverse stock split are also examined. The results show negative abnormal returns on the ex-day and the following days. On the announcement days there is also a general negative abnormal return, though not as substantial as during the ex-day period. A higher split ratio also tend to result in a more negative abnormal return. The study also finds that the liquidity and the volatility of the stock increases, following a reverse stock split. In the long run there is an overall negative Buy and Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR).