We’re excited to announce the launch of our Corporate Actions API: Announcements, which gives customers access to our extensive corporate actions database. This API provides information on previous and upcoming dividends, mergers, spinoffs, and stock splits. Through this new endpoint, we aim to help Alpaca customers stay up to date on upcoming announcements, simplify bookkeeping, and support trading strategies based on corporate actions events.
Data and Availability
Corporate Actions API: Announcements provides detailed corporate actions data for events such as dividends, mergers, spinoffs, and stock splits. The information will be available on the endpoint as soon as it is ingested from Alpaca’s third party data vendor, which is typically before market open on the trading day following the declaration date. However, any announcements that are made during the trading day will be available after market close.
Additionally, bespoke reorganization announcements, such as symbol changes, redemptions, liquidations, delistings, and tender offers, are not available to view through the API at this time. For a full list of corporate action types and subtypes that are supported with the API, please view the Trading API and Broker API documentation. Users are able to interact with Alpaca’s corporate actions data dating back to April 2020.
Corporate Action Types Available via the API
Dividends
A dividend is a payment to shareholders based on a company’s earnings to a segment of their shareholders. These payments can take the form of cash sums or stock allocations according to the discretion of the company’s board of directors. Common shareholders of dividend-paying companies are typically eligible as long as they own the stock before the ex-dividend date.
Mergers
A merger is an agreement in which one firm acquires another company to form a single entity. Typically, shareholders will receive the parent company’s stock based on their holdings in the acquired firm. There may be multiple announcements to inform shareholders of updates to the terms of the purchase before the merger is complete.
Spinoffs
A spinoff is the creation of a new entity, or child company, that is formed off of the sale of the parent company’s shares. When this occurs, shareholders will receive shares of the divestiture based on their holdings in the parent company. Similarly to mergers, there may be multiple announcements to inform shareholders of updates to the terms of the purchase before the merger is complete.
Stock Splits
A stock split occurs when a company looks to change the number of outstanding shares in the market without changing the firm’s market value. A forward stock split maintains a firm’s market value through decreasing the price per share while simultaneously issuing more shares to existing investors. The opposite is true for a reverse stock split. This corporate action type impacts the share quantity and the market price of the asset.
Query in Specific or Broad Parameters
Through the GET request, you can receive announcement data broadly or more specifically within certain parameters. It’s possible to search for announcements by type, symbol, and CUSIP over a given date range. The endpoint also allows you to determine which date type should be used when applying the date range. Date types available are declaration date, ex-dividend date, record date, and payable date.
GET v1/corporate_actions/announcements
This allows you to pull general announcement information.
GET v1/corporate_actions/announcements/{id}
This allows you to pull a specific announcement.
Key Uses
Keep Shareholders Up-to-Date
Traders may use Corporate Actions API to stay up-to-date on upcoming announcements that may impact current holdings or to assess potential investments. App developers can use the API to build in announcement updates for their users through the UI.
Reconciliation and Bookkeeping
In the event of any unexpected account position and cash balance changes, the API response can be used to reconcile the non-trade activity. The endpoint returns details from previous announcements can be used to reconcile any resulting account position and cash balance changes.
Support Corporate Actions-Based Investment Strategies
The API can be used to enhance trading strategies for users that are focused on corporate action events.
For more information, view the full Corporate Actions API: Announcements documentation for Broker API and Trading API.
This content is for general information only. Alpaca does not recommend any specific investments or investment strategies. Investments in securities involve the risk of losses and past performance does not guarantee future results. Before investing you should carefully consider your investment objectives, time horizon, and overall risk tolerance as well as the information stated in the product offering prospectuses.
Securities brokerage services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC (“Alpaca”), member FINRA/SIPC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Technology and services are offered by AlpacaDB, Inc.
This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities, or open a brokerage account in any jurisdiction where Alpaca is not registered (Alpaca is registered only in the United States).
