Schwab Splitting Shares for Two-Thirds of ETF Lineup

Schwab Asset Management is splitting shares on two-thirds of its 33 exchange-traded funds, aiming to stimulate sales with lower share prices.

The company announced this week an effort to make 20 of its exchange-traded funds more appealing to financial advisors and retail investors by reducing the net asset values through share splits.

The impacted ETFs, ranging from a 4-for-1 split by the Schwab US Large Cap Growth ETF (SCHG) to a 2-for-1 split by the Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHF), will not change the total value of a shareholder’s investment.

Schwab ETF Split: List of Funds

The list of ETFs subject to share splits, scheduled for Oct. 11, all have current share prices ranging from $40 to $103.

ETF Share Split: What It Means

“ETF share splits are primarily about maintaining or increasing investor accessibility,” said Nate Geraci, founder of The ETF Store in Overland Park, Kans.

“The lower price handle makes it easier for advisors to deploy and manage the ETFs in portfolios, primarily for smaller dollar accounts,” he added. “It also appeals to retail investors, offering the perception of affordability.”

Ryan Jackson, senior manager research analyst at Morningstar, explained that the ETF share splits “don’t matter much for current investors.”

“They don't affect the overall value of the ETFs or create a taxable event,” he said. “It could improve the liquidity in some instances because more investors may be able to trade them, but that's a very small-scale benefit. It's mostly business as usual.”

Scwhab ETF Splits May Increase Demand

Jackson added that share splits are an easy way to potentially increase demand for Schwab’s ETFs.

“Schwab, in particular, has been a hit in the individual investor community, and its lower price could entice even more retail investors to jump on board,” he added.

Schwab Asset Management is the asset management arm of Charles Schwab Corp. in Westlake, Texas.

Schwab has 31 ETFs that combine for $375 billion in assets.

Sumit Roy, etf.com senior ETF analyst, agreed that share splits are “merely cosmetic and don't change anything for investors, especially in the day of fractional share trading.”

Tim Holsworth, president of AHP Financial in Midland, Mich., thinks most investors and financial advisors have long since seen past the stock split ploy to spark fresh investor interest.

“We know the actual value doesn’t change from splits,” he said. “As a seasoned veteran, it seems to me stock splits used to be a way to increase interest in the shares and it seemed to drive buying, but I don’t think it matters like it used to.”