Showing posts with label stock dividends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stock dividends. Show all posts

Wednesday 12 September 2012

How do I calculate the adjusted closing price for a stock?

When trading is done for the day on a recognized exchange, all stocks are priced at close. The price that is quoted at the end of the trading day is the price of the last lot of stock that was traded for the day. This is called a stock's closing price. The final stock price that is quoted can be used by investors to compare a stock's performance over a period of time. This period is usually from one trading day to another.

During the course of a trading day, many things can happen to affect a stock's price. Along with good and bad news relating to the operations of a company, any sort of distribution that is made to investors will also affect stock price. These distributions can include cash dividendsstock dividends and stock splits.

When distributions are made, the adjusted closing price calculations are quite simple. For cash dividends, the value of the dividend is deducted from the last closing sale price of the stock. For example, let's assume that the closing price for one share of XYZ Corp. is $20 on Thursday. After close on Thursday, XYZ Corp. announces a dividend distribution of $1.50 per share. The adjusted closing price for the stock would then be $18.50 ($20-$1.50).

If XYZ Corp. announces a 2:1 stock dividend instead of a cash dividend, the adjusted closing price calculation will change. A 2:1 stock dividend means that for every share an investor owns, he or she will receive two more shares. In this case, the adjusted closing price calculation will be $20*(1/(2+1)). This will give you a price of $6.67, rounded to the nearest penny.

If XYZ Corp. announces a 2:1 stock split, investors will receive an extra share for every share they already own. This time the calculation will be $20*(1/(1x2)), resulting in an adjusted closing price of $10.

We have examined the simplest and most common corporate actions that can affect a stock's closing price. However, if a more complicated action, such as a rights offering, is announced, the adjusted closing price calculation can become quite confusing. Historical price services provided by financial sites such as Yahoo! Finance eliminate the confusion by calculating adjusted closing prices for investors.


Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/adjustedclosingprice.asp#ixzz26D2HFoLa




Definition of 'Adjusted Closing Price'

A stock's closing price on any given day of trading that has been amended to include any distributions and corporate actions that occurred at any time prior to the next day's open. The adjusted closing price is often used when examining historical returns or performing a detailed analysis on historical returns.Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Adjusted Closing Price'

The adjusted closing price is a useful tool when examining historical returns because it gives analysts an accurate representation of the firm's equity value beyond the simple market price. It accounts for all corporate actions such as stock splits, dividends/distributions and rights offerings.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/adjusted_closing_price.asp#ixzz26D39i2sh

Friday 27 November 2009

Stock versus Cash Dividends

Some firms pay stock dividends in addition to or in lieu of cash dividends.  Stock dividends are a form of recapitalization and do not affect the assets and liabilities of the firm.

There is a misconception that stock dividends increase the ability of the firm to grow.  Many investors believe that stock dividends preserve cash and actually allow the firm to reinvest more for growth.  Because of this belief many stocks trade higher after paying a stock dividend.  However, stock dividends do not increase the earning power of the company.

In the US, if an investor receives additional shares from a stock dividend (and the investor does not have the option to take the dividend in cash), there is no tax consequence until the investor sells the stock.