Why Meta Platforms and Goldman Sachs Are Primed for Blockbuster Stock Splits in 2026

The Stock Split Catalyst: Why Wall Street Is Watching

The enthusiasm surrounding stock splits has emerged as one of Wall Street’s most reliable sentiment indicators heading into 2026. When major corporations announce forward stock splits—a move that increases share count while proportionally decreasing share price—it typically signals management confidence in sustained growth. Historical data shows companies that execute forward splits tend to outperform the S&P 500 benchmark for 12 months post-announcement.

The beauty of a stock split lies in its psychological impact rather than fundamental change. A company’s market capitalization and operational performance remain unaffected, yet investors perceive these announcements as major catalysts. This is particularly true for retail investors who gain better access to securities when nominal prices become more accessible.

Meta Platforms: The Overdue Stock Split Candidate

Among the Magnificent Seven—the seven companies that have achieved $1 trillion valuations—Meta Platforms stands as the only member that has never executed a stock split despite being publicly traded for over a decade.

The numbers tell a compelling story. Meta’s share price oscillated between $600 and $800 throughout 2025, with year-end closing at a different level entirely. More critically, the company has witnessed substantial growth in retail investor participation, with everyday investors now holding approximately 29% of outstanding shares—a threshold that historically justifies a forward split.

The company’s financial trajectory reinforces this case. Facebook’s parent operates the world’s most-accessed social media ecosystem, with 3.54 billion daily active users across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Messenger. This unmatched user concentration gives Meta extraordinary pricing power in the advertising market.

Financial strength amplifies the narrative. As of the third quarter of 2025, Meta maintained nearly $44.5 billion in liquid assets and generated approximately $80 billion in operating cash flow during the first nine months of that year. This fortress balance sheet enables aggressive investment in artificial intelligence integration within its advertising technology—a development that’s already improving client returns through personalized ad targeting.

With the company’s share price likely to continue climbing and retail investor ownership exceeding 28%, the conditions for a historic stock split have rarely been more aligned.

Goldman Sachs: A Quarter-Century Without a Split

Investment banking powerhouse Goldman Sachs presents an equally compelling scenario, having never split its stock despite 26+ years as a public company. The investment bank’s share trajectory has been dramatic: from $60 at IPO to closing 2025 near $879, representing a 14-fold appreciation.

The structural opportunity mirrors Meta’s situation. Non-institutional investors control over 30% of Goldman’s float, and the rising nominal price creates accessibility barriers for retail participation. Yet a critical complication exists: Goldman Sachs’ disproportionate influence within the price-weighted Dow Jones Industrial Average.

As a price-weighted index component, higher share prices translate directly to greater index weighting. At year-end 2025, Goldman accounted for approximately 5,400 of the Dow’s 48,063 total points. A stock split would diminish this influence—a consideration the board must weigh against the benefits of improved liquidity and retail accessibility.

However, the long-term growth dynamics favor eventual action. Goldman thrives during economic expansions and bull markets—periods that statistically outlast downturns and crashes. The firm maintains Wall Street’s top position in mergers-and-acquisitions advisory and ranks among leaders in equities trading and fixed-income investing.

The company’s earnings performance underscores operational excellence. Over the preceding four quarters ending September 2025, Goldman beat earnings-per-share expectations by 10% to 43%—a consistent track record of crushing consensus forecasts.

The 2026 Outlook: Two Unavoidable Decisions

As both companies navigate their respective circumstances, the board-level conversations around stock splits have likely intensified. For Meta, the decision appears straightforward: all factors align for a forward split that would democratize ownership and acknowledge the company’s maturation as an institution.

For Goldman Sachs, the calculus is more complex but ultimately points in the same direction. While protecting the company’s outsized Dow weighting carries weight, the long-term benefits of improved accessibility and the inevitable continued share appreciation make a split a matter of when rather than if.

The stage is set for potentially the most significant stock-split announcements of 2026 to emanate from these two titans—a development that could reshape investor participation dynamics across their respective market segments.