How to read a stock quote ?
Understand colums of a stock table(quote).
Columns 1 & 2: 52-Week High and Low - These show the highest and lowest prices at which a stock was traded over the last 52 weeks (1 year). This does not include the previous day’s
trading.
Column 3: Company Name & Type of Stock - This column lists company name followed by special symbols which represent different classes of shares. If there are no special symbols or letters
following the name, it is common stock. For instance, "pf" refers to the shares that are preferred stock.
Column 4: Ticker Symbol - Every stock is identified by this unique alphabetic name. You must have seen the ticker tape move across the screen, quoting the latest prices alongside this symbol in
any financial news/channel. When looking for stock quotes online, you always search for a company by it’s ticker symbol. You can search for a company’s ticker symbol at yahoo finance.
Column 5: Dividend Per Share - This is the annual dividend payment per share. This space would be blank if the company does not currently pay out dividends.
Column 6: Dividend Yield - The percentage return on the dividend. Calculated as annual dividends per share divided by price per share.
Column 7: Price/Earnings Ratio - This is the current stock price divided by earnings per share from the last four quarters.
Column 8: Trading Volume - This figure shows the total number of shares traded for the day, listed in hundreds. Actual number would be this figure times 100.
Column 9 & 10: Day High and Low - These are the maximum and the minimum prices that people have paid for the stock.
Column 11: Close - The close is the last trading price recorded when the market closed on the day. If the closing price is up or down more than 5% than the previous day’s close, the entire
listing for that stock is bold-faced. You are not guaranteed to get this price if you buy the stock the next day because the price is constantly changing (even after the exchange is closed for the day). The close
is merely an indicator of past performance and except in extreme circumstances serves as a ballpark of what you should expect to pay.
Column 12: Net Change - This is the dollar value change in the stock price from the previous day’s closing price. When you hear about a stock being "up for the day," it means the net
change was positive.
Quotes on the Internet
Because of technological advances , it’s easier for most to get stock quotes online. This method is better because most sites update throughout the day and give more information, news, charting,
research, etc. To get quotes, simply enter the ticker symbol into the quote box of any major financial site like Yahoo! Finance, CBS Marketwatch, or MSN Moneycentral. Interpreting the data is exactly the
same as with the newspaper.
Table of contents: Stock Market tutorial
1. Stocks: An introduction.
2. What are stocks ?
3. Types of stocks.
4. How stocks trade
5. How stock prices change ?
6. How to purchase stocks ?
7. How to read a stock table/quote.
8. Animals in stock market
9. Stock Market Tutorial: Summary.
