Chipmaking equipment manufacturer ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) has split its stock five times so far, but it's been a while since the last time. The stock trades around $870 today, and it might be time to carve that $343 billion market cap into a larger number of slices.

Stock splits are simple accounting moves; they don't change the total value of the company, and they don't add value for existing shareholders.

A stock split can still be a sensible idea sometimes, though. The main benefit is that shares become more affordable after the split, and therefore more easily available for purchase by a wider base of potential investors. In particular, high-priced stocks are cumbersome for investors who can't buy fractional shares through their broker.

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Source Fool.com