How to Read a Stock Quote
Every stock page shows the same core numbers. Once you know what each one means, you can size up any stock in seconds.
Price fields
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Ticker symbol | The short code for the stock, such as AAPL for Apple |
| Last price | The price of the most recent trade |
| Change / % change | How much the price has moved since the previous close |
| Previous close | The final price of the last trading session |
| Open | The first trade price of today's session |
| Day's range | Today's lowest and highest prices |
| 52-week range | The lowest and highest prices over the past year |
Trading fields
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Bid | The highest price a buyer is currently offering |
| Ask | The lowest price a seller is currently accepting |
| Spread | The gap between bid and ask. Narrow spreads mean a liquid stock |
| Volume | Shares traded so far today |
| Average volume | Typical daily volume over a recent period. Compare with today's volume |
Valuation fields
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Market cap | Share price × shares outstanding: the company's total market value |
| P/E ratio | Price ÷ earnings per share: how much investors pay for each unit of profit |
| EPS | Earnings per share: profit divided by shares outstanding |
| Dividend yield | Annual dividend ÷ price, as a percentage |
| Beta | How much the stock tends to move compared with the overall market |
What to look at first
- 1Price and % change: what is the stock doing today?
- 252-week range: is it near its yearly high or low?
- 3Volume vs average: is today's move backed by unusual activity?
- 4Market cap and P/E: how big is the company and how is it valued?
Try it on a real stock
Open any stock page and match each number to the definitions above. The screener lets you compare these fields across many stocks at once.
Educational information only, not investment advice. Market data may be delayed.
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