Stock Quote Guide

This is one for the beginners.

When I was starting out I wish somebody could have showed me how to make sense of a stock quote. I’ve posted a screen capture of Google’s stock quote from Yahoo! Finance. I’ll break down and define everything right here.

Typical Stock Quote Chart

Google: The name of the company. If you had requested a quote for YHOO it would have brought up the stock quote for Yahoo!.

After Hours: This shows how the stock traded after the official closing of the markets. Markets officially close at 5 P.M. sharp every weekday except holidays. This price reflects activity after the closing bell.

Last Trade: Last price the stock was sold for during market hours.

Trade Time: The most recent day a stock was traded.

Change: Indicates the change in a stock’s price. When the market is open, this changes as the stocks price changes. After closing, this stays the same until the markets open again.

Prev Close: Stands for previous close. The price a stock last traded for after the most recent market close. (EX: A stock closes on Tuesday for $30 a share then Wednesday’s Previous Close would be $30.)

Open: The price of stock at the opening bell. (EX: A stock could settle at $50 a share on Thursday at closing and have an opening price of $51 if After Hours Trading pushed up the price of a stock.) This price would change the next time the markets opened.

Bid: Price a potential buyer is willing to pay for a stock at a specific time.
Ask: Asking price for a specific stock.

1y Target Est.: A stock’s estimated per share value.

Day’s Range: Price range a stock traded in during the current or most recent trading session. EX: A stock that opens at $10, rises to $25, and falls to $5 by the end of the session has a Day’s Range of $5 - $25.

52wk Range: Stands for 52 week or year range. The highest and lowest point a stock has traded at for the past year. EX: A stock opens at $50 in December, falls to $1 in July, and rises to $67 the following December has a 52 Week Range of $1 - $67.

Volume: Actual amount of shares traded during the current or previous trading session.
AVG Volume: Stands for Average Volume. The average amount of shares usually traded during a trading session.

Market Cap: How much a company’s stock is worth. EX: A company has 10,000,000 shares available for purchase; each share is worth $10. This company’s market capitalization would be $100,000,000.

P/E: Stands for Price / Earnings. Indicates how much investors are willing to pay for every for a company’s profits. P/E is calculated by taking the price of a share and dividing it by a company’s earnings per share.

EPS: Earnings per share. The profits of a company divided by its outstanding shares. (Net Profit – Dividends / Outstanding Shares) Div & Yield: The dividend a company pays its shareholders. (Typically on a quarterly basis.)