If You Bought 1 Share of AMD at Its IPO, Here’s How Many Shares You Would Own Now

AMD has done six stock splits so far, but none in the last 20 years. Here's what you should know about the chip designer's split history. Read More...

AMD has done six stock splits so far, but none in the last 20 years. Here’s what you should know about the chip designer’s split history.

Semiconductor designer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD -0.22%) has become a power player in the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The company also puts up a fight against segment leader Nvidia in the market for high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) for gamers and professional graphic designers. AMD is even taking market share from PC processor Intel in several important niches.

As a result, AMD’s stock has gained a market-stomping 3,410% over the last decade. By comparison, the S&P 500 market index gained 231% over the same period, while Intel investors saw a 29% loss. These figures are total returns, including a boost from reinvested dividends along the way — which AMD has never offered.

AMD’s stock-split history

AMD’s stock price has soared to $141 per share, raising speculation about a potential stock split. As it turns out, AMD has performed several splits in the past, but none of them are recent:

Split Date	Split Ratio
October 1978	3-for-2
October 1979	3-for-2
October 1980	2-for-1
October 1982	3-for-2
August 1983	2-for-1
August 2000	2-for-1

Data source: AMD.

It’s a long line of modest splits, adding up to a 27-for-1 multiplier over 22 years. If you bought one AMD share when it hit the stock market on Sept. 27, 1972, you’d have 27 stubs today. The original bill for that purchase would be roughly $11.37, based on a split-adjusted price of $0.421 per share. Today, those 27 AMD shares are worth $3,807 in total.

AMD data by YCharts.

AMD hasn’t issued a stock split since the now-ancient Athlon processor was brand new. Most of the splits were executed when the company acted as a second source of microchips in the era of PacMan, transistor radios, and VHS players.

Anders Bylund has positions in Intel and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Intel and recommends the following options: short November 2024 $24 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.