Companies perform stock splits for a variety of reasons, from a desire to increase the liquidity of their shares to an interest in making them more accessible to a wider range of investors. Such events involve giving all current shareholders more shares, but without changing the total value of their holdings or their relative stakes in the company. The result is to reduce the value of each individual share.

In recent years, some of the world's biggest companies have undertaken these financial maneuvers. Technology giant Amazon and electric vehicle leader both split their stocks in 2022, and most recently, consumer goods giant Walmart announced a 3-for-1 split that will happen later this month. Investors often are on the lookout for potential splitters because, generally, these companies have done well from both an earnings and a share performance perspective, which can indicate that they have what it takes to excel in the future, too.

Which company could be next? Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) have soared by 78% over the past two years to more than $400, and key catalysts on the horizon could push them even higher.

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Source Fool.com