The financial world was rocked, more or less, when Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) recently announced a plan to split its B shares -- billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the company's chairman and CEO, famously refused to split the stock for years. (In fact, the A shares are still trading in six-digit territory, upwards of $100,000 apiece.)

On Monday, option players didn't hesitate to express their reservations about the stock split. During the course of the session, speculators on the International Securities Exchange (ISE) bought to open 4,736 puts on BRK.B, compared to just 2,559 calls. The single-day put/call volume ratio arrived at 1.85, with bearish bets nearly doubling their bullish counterparts.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) has enjoyed a stellar run higher in 2009, with the shares up 105% year-to-date.

Today, the company announced that its board has approved a three-for-two stock split in the form of a stock dividend. All shareholders of record as of May 29 will receive one additional share of GMCR common stock for every two shares currently held, with distribution scheduled for June 8.

"This stock dividend allows us to share our success with our loyal stockholders to the extent of our authorized stock and underscores our confidence in the strength of our Company and its prospects for the future," said President and CEO Larry Blanford in a statement.

It's time for the apple to split, and we're not talking fruit here. Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) sits at an all-time high, closing above $161 last Friday, and it may be that another stock split is in order. After all, 2-for-1 splits have happened before, with the most recent in 2005.

This time, it's different. Before -- in 1987, 2000 and 2005 -- Apple's shares were worth roughly $100 each. They're quite a bit above that now, right? It another 2-for-1 split already overdue? Has Apple's meteoric share price been even a surprise to the company itself, explaining the delay?

A split now would signal to the world that Apple believes it has even more room to grow. But does it? From the unrelenting excitement about its products, it most likely does, despite the fact that the company appears to be more arrogant than ever. Shh -- don't tell the market makers, though.

If a split does happen, might it be a 3-for-1? That would bring the share price into the $50 range instead of the $80 range, which is a more likely a scenario in my view. One thing is for sure -- Apple will most likely think harder and harder about splitting in some fashion as shares get within shouting distance of $200. It's headed there soon, according to my colleague Georges Yared.