DRE Chart, page-840

You will find that the small orders going through are computer robots (bots) trading according to algorithms. This is not illegal or a no no. In the past these tools have been available only to the elite, however more and more retail investors have access to these tools. These programs, or 'bots' area actually executing large orders in small bites. This allows, for instance, a 20mil sell to be executed over a week or two 2 without affecting the price. Imagine that 20mil sell order dropped on market. Alternatively it allows big buys to go through in a similar way without lifting the price too much. My broker for example, allows parameters to be set for vwap price, at or below, at or by above, time periods and others. It's a higher brokerage fee but as a retail holder I have those tools. Definitely not illegal and has benefits and draw backs. It allows huge orders to go through without the price volatility.

The other issue that appears to be getting thrown into the mix, is the minimum $500 buy in on a new stock. After the initial $500 buy, and depending on your broker, they will permit smaller orders. However with brokerage fees, it is hardly worth executing orders this small.