The Best Stock Split Calendar APIs

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Contributor, Benzinga
September 22, 2021

It doesn’t matter which company’s stock you’ve purchased: Whether you already own stock in a particular company or you’re thinking of investing in a company — more likely than not, you’ll probably want to know if the stock is about to split or has split in the past.

Don’t be left hanging as other traders use APIs to know everything about a stock split — the minute, second and millisecond it happens. The best stock split calendar APIs can give you an edge. Knowing this information helps you get ahead of the marketplace. Plus, understanding what these stock splits mean with information from Benzinga can make your investments that much more profitable.

Quick Look: The Best Stock Split Calendars You Can Use

The Best Stock Split Calendar APIs

We’ve evaluated several of the best stock split calendars so you might know which ones will be the best fit.

Benzinga

We’d be remiss if we didn’t feature our own product, Benzinga’s Stock Split Calendar API. Benzinga’s notched a win in the stock split calendar APIs because of our solid history of unveiling new split announcements, historic splits and price performance both 1 week and 1 month after each split occurs on all major U.S. exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, etc.) and select over-the-counter (OTC) stocks.

Our stock splits press release wire is checked 4 times a day to update you with new split announcements so you won’t miss a beat. Check out an example of what it looks like, below:

stock-splits-calendar-e1435774653764
Source: https://cloud.benzinga.com/cloud-product/stock-splits/

Most importantly, you’ll get a full-fledged analysis that includes the company name, ticker symbol, initial range, initial pricing, initial shares, revised range, revised shares, open time, price at open, underwriters and more.

YCharts

YCharts offers its stock split API calendar without massive antiquated dumps, poorly-designed data access architecture or integration issues. All responses are returned in the JSON format. The top-level object returned in the response contains meta and response.

The meta object contains information about the request, and the response object contains the response. The company stock splits endpoint is used to return a list of stock split objects that within the date range specified by the optional start and end date parameters.

Zacks

Zacks upcoming splits data feed provides upcoming expected stock splits for U.S. traded stocks determined from company-issued press releases and SEC 8-K reports. Data is updated at 7 p.m. ET every weekday, a little bit less on-the-ball than, say, Benzinga’s stock split API, which is checked 4 times a day.

According to Quandl’s website, which is the company partnered with Zacks for its APIs, a quality control process is implemented to be sure data points are accurate. Data undergoes automated verification checks using both (trained) human eyes and automated computer checks.

Screen-Shot-2019-06-17-at-3.20.44-PM
Source: https://www.quandl.com/databases/ZUSP/documentation

EODhistoricaldata.com

EODhistoricaldata.com’s entire stock market API endpoint means you don’t need to perform thousands of API requests per day as in the past. EODhistoricaldata.com developed a bulk download API endpoint for downloading historical data in mass quantities.

Upcoming earnings, 100,000 API requests per day on more than 60 supported exchanges means that you’ll be able to extract upcoming earnings, IPOs and splits (an array of options!)

Xignite

Xignite offers a combo package: Its earnings API includes stock splits as well. Xignite offers future earnings, dividend data and events calendar data for trading and risk. You’ll get data on 6,300 companies traded on U.S. and global exchanges, dates and timing for earnings announcements, shareholder/board meetings and upcoming splits and dividends.

You’ll get an earnings calendar with 89-day forward looking window and split dates and ratio. You can check out Xignite’s API test form to craft and customize and see responses right away. You’ll be able to get APIs return data in XML, JSON or CSV formats and can be accessed with a single web request over HTTP, in addition to REST and SOAP APIs.

What is a Stock Split Calendar API?

Let’s do two things at this point. Let’s define a stock split as well as an API. First, let’s pretend a company decides it wants to lower the trading price for each of its shares of stock and also wants to gain more liquidity.

It may choose to split its stock, usually choosing to go for 2-for-1, 3-for-1 or 3-for-2 splits. In other words, a stock split enables a company to increase its total number of shares and at the same time, it also lowers the price of each of its individual shares.

Individual investors don’t necessarily get an overwhelming benefit because the value of each share is cut in half as the result of the split. So if the price per share was $30 before the split, each share will be worth $15 after a 2-for-1 split.

Now, what’s an application programming interface (API)? In technical terms, APIs are programming codes that “communicate” from one software platform to another. Most traders use APIs to connect a particular algorithm to their favorite broker to get the most up-to-the-minute trades possible.

In other words, APIs are the back-end data that’s triggered on any financial platform that you can’t see while you’re on that website or platform. Much of the time, you might have no idea you’re even using one. Think of APIs as an extension cord being plugged into another extension cord, then into an outlet.

Here’s an example: When you search for a swanky California hotel on a website like Orbitz, every hotel website’s API serves you the information you’re requesting based on your individual preferences — the dates you prefer, flight times, whether you want a rental car, etc.  See? Like plugging in extension cord after extension cord and linking them together.

Now, let’s put these two concepts together: stock split and API. Stock split calendar APIs — you guessed it — automatically alert you to any stock splits of any company so you don’t have to do the hard work yourself. You’ll know when a company announces a split and how large the split will be.

Screen-Shot-2019-06-17-at-3.19.02-PM
Source: https://iexcloud.io/docs/api/#splits

Features of the Best Stock Split Calendar APIs

The best stock split calendars are easy to digest. As with most things, clarity is a huge advantage. A stock split calendar is well worth your time and effort if you get what you need immediately. Here are a few other features worth considering.

Delivery Frequency

Before you land on the best stock split calendar for your needs, find out how often the data is updated. Timely stock split announcements are imperative if you want to get anything out of the data. For example, Zacks’ website states that its stock splits are updated daily.

You’ll want to be sure you’re choosing a stock split calendar that updates often, but for most needs, as frequently as possible (daily) is best. Knowing how often you can make an API call is another key to knowing how fast the data will end up showing on your platform.

Quality Data and Organization

Quality data is key — after all, what good is a stock split calendar if the accuracy of when a stock split will occur is off? Knowing when a stock split will happen is just as important as knowing what its exact ratio will be. Be sure you’re looking into reputable options so you know you’re in the know, right on cue.

It’s very likely that a stock split calendar will be organized in tables with a choice of formats (such as JSON, XML or CSV). Often, they’ll contain data types such as strings, numbers, dates and more and can be filtered by different fields.

Be sure the fields you need are included, such as date, company name, ticker symbol, initial range, initial pricing and more. Choosing the right stock split calendar will ensure that you’re getting what you need the way you want it.

Flexible on Price

A good API partner should be able to budge in price. Proposing a healthy balance is a key to getting a good API and at the same time, saving a few dollars. Compare what we’ve listed as our top picks to make sure you’re getting a price you’re comfortable with.

How to Build a Brokerage

Building a successful brokerage comes down to a three-pronged approach. First, you must obtain FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation) and NASAA (North American Securities Administrators Association) licensure. You also need to file form BD with the SEC and await approval.

If you are managing a larger brokerage and want to expand, you can include licensure training and examinations in your employee onboarding process.

Next, you must consider how your company will grow. As you build the brokerage, review your business plan. Yes, your original plan may be going quite well, but you want to expand your business plan, adding new features, investment products and functions for your customers. For example, you may have started with a website, but you can expand to a mobile app that’s available in the App Store or Google Play Store. Some companies may start with an app and later build a website allowing customers to log into their accounts. You might also add more brokers, hire financial advisors, build a call center or invest in live chat customer service software.

Finally, you must determine how your business will build wealth. Will your firm grow to the point that you can go public and list a stock? Are you planning to add partners who can help increase your customer base, and do you want to continue adding features—like the APIs listed above—for the benefit of your customers? Progressive growth and careful consideration of all your options can turn a small broker-dealer operation into a robust brokerage.

Choose the Best Stock Split Calendar for Your Needs

A couple of last-minute things to unpack when you’re doing your research: This may seem elementary, but the stock split calendar API will need to be able to tell you the ratio in which a particular company will split. For example, it should list out whether it’s a 5-to-1, 2-to-1 or 1-to-4 split or any other type of split.

Also, before you choose the best stock split calendar API for you, make sure it differentiates between the announced versus the ex-date (when the company announces it will have a split versus what date the split actually takes place).

Don’t forget to investigate the option of using a free trial. Several stock split calendar API sites offer free trials. For example, Xignite offers a 7-day free trial. A free trial should help you build out your pros and cons list so you know which stock split calendar API will work best for you.  

Melissa Brock

About Melissa Brock

Melissa Brock is a versatile freelance writer and financial editor, recognized for her expertise in higher education, personal finance, and investing. With over a decade of experience in online content creation, Melissa has established herself as a trusted source for insightful financial advice and educational resources. Her writing prowess extends to diverse topics, including trading, cryptocurrency, and college savings. Melissa’s commitment to empowering readers with practical knowledge and actionable insights is evident in her contributions to various reputable platforms. As a dedicated financial editor, she meticulously covers the complexities of personal finance, ensuring readers have the tools they need to make informed decisions. Melissa’s work exemplifies her passion for educating and informing audiences on matters of financial literacy and investment strategies.