What's the Deal With Stock Splits?

In this edition of The Motley Fool's "Ask a Fool" series, Motley Fool analysts Jason Moser and Brendan Mathews take a question from a reader who writes: "Under Armour (UA 2.68%) announced a split, and the stock fell 5%. I am new to Foolish investing, and I don't know if this is common. What is the common correlation between stock splits and price changes?"
 
Jason and Brendan both explain that while stock splits can create interest for many investors because they typically give investors a higher number of shares, it doesn't change the bottom-line amount of money that a person has invested in the company. On the surface, splits don't usually matter and they don't create value in and of themselves, but there's also no question that splits can open up shares to a new buying demographic, and that can certainly push the price up in the short run. In the case of Under Armour, Jason and Brendan both think the share price had gotten a little ahead of itself thanks to a great holiday season and that the pull-back was probably more related to valuation than anything else. The bottom line for investors, though, is to not worry about splits and focus on the fundamentals of the business as a long-term investment.