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 dividends, stock 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 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

Buffett (1992): His thoughts on issuing shares.

His thoughts on issuing shares.  He concentrated most of his investments in companies where shareholder returns have greatly exceeded the cost of capital and where the entire need for future growth has been met by internal accruals.


Here are the investment wisdom Warren Buffett doled out through his 1992 letter to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders.

Up front is a comment on the change in the number of shares outstanding of Berkshire Hathaway since its inception in 1964 and this we believe, is a very important message for investors who want to know how genuine wealth can be created. Investors these days are virtually fed on a diet of split and bonuses and new shares issuance, in stark contrast to the master's view on the topic. Laid out below are his comments on shares outstanding of Berkshire Hathaway and new shares issuance.

"Berkshire now has 1,152,547 shares outstanding. That compares, you will be interested to know, to 1,137,778 shares outstanding on October 1, 1964, the beginning of the fiscal year during which Buffett Partnership, Ltd. acquired control of the company."

"We have a firm policy about issuing shares of Berkshire, doing so only when we receive as much value as we give. Equal value, however, has not been easy to obtain, since we have always valued our shares highly. So be it: We wish to increase Berkshire's size only when doing that also increases the wealth of its owners."

"Those two objectives do not necessarily go hand-in-hand as an amusing but value-destroying experience in our past illustrates. On that occasion, we had a significant investment in a bank whose management was hell-bent on expansion. (Aren't they all?) When our bank wooed a smaller bank, its owner demanded a stock swap on a basis that valued the acquiree's net worth and earning power at over twice that of the acquirer's. Our management - visibly in heat - quickly capitulated. The owner of the acquiree then insisted on one other condition: "You must promise me," he said in effect, "that once our merger is done and I have become a major shareholder, you'll never again make a deal this dumb."

It is widely known and documented that Berkshire Hathaway boasts one of the best long-term track records among American corporations in increasing shareholder wealth. However, what is not widely known is the fact that during this nearly three decade long period (1964-1992), the total number of shares outstanding has increased by just over 1%! Put differently, the entire gains have come to the same set of shareholders assuming shares have not changed hands and that too by putting virtually nothing extra other than the original investment. Further, the company has not encouraged unwanted speculation by going in for a stock split or bonus issues, as these measures do nothing to improve the intrinsic values. They merely are tools in the hands of mostly dishonest managements who want to lure naïve investors by offering more shares but at a proportionately reduced price, thus leaving the overall equation unchanged.

How is it that Berkshire Hathaway has raked up returns that rank among the best but has needed very little by way of additional equity. The answer lies in the fact that the company has concentrated most of its investments in companies where shareholder returns have greatly exceeded the cost of capital and where the entire need for future growth has been met by internal accruals. Plus, the company has also made sure that it has made purchases at attractive enough prices. Clearly, investors could do themselves a world of good if they adhere to these basic principles and not get caught in companies, which consistently require additional equity for growth or which issue bonuses or stock-splits to artificially shore up the intrinsic value. For as the master says that even a dormant savings account can lead to higher returns if supplied with more money. The idea is to generate more than one can invest for future growth.

http://www.equitymaster.com/detail.asp?date=12/7/2007&story=3