Samsung Electronics now has five times more investors than there were two years ago. According to the latest data, the South Korean tech giant has more than 1.36 million investors, which is a 565 percent increase compared to Q1 2018, when there were 241,513 investors.
According to the data filed by Financial Supervisory Service, Samsung Electronics stocks worth KRW 1.25 trillion (around $1.02 billion) were traded daily in the first quarter of this year. This is a 75 percent increase compared to the numbers of the same quarter in 2018.
On May 04, 2018, the company had lowered the face value of its stocks from KRW 5,000 to KRW 100. This decision was reportedly taken to improve the long-term corporate value and to make the purchase of shares more accessible to individual investors.
A common share of Samsung Electronics was traded at KRW 2.65 million before the stock split. After the 50:1 stock spilt, the number of commonly issued shares increased from 128.4 million to 6.42 billion. Each share was worth one-fifth of its original price after the stock split two years ago.
In January 2020, the company's stock peaked at KRW 62,400, but it is now being traded at KRW 48,400 after the South Korean stock market was hit by COVID-19. Market experts say that Samsung's stock split saved the company from a further drop in stock prices as more people were able to purchase and trade its shares.
