SPLITS SCARCE: Companies used to split their shares in two or more to lower the price and appeal to small investors without much money. Not now. Hitting a triple-digit stock price is a "badge of achievement," says Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader's Almanac.
INVESTOR RETREAT: One reason for few splits is that Main Street folks have been pulling out of stocks for years, leaving much of the trading to professional investors not prone to sticker shock.
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