How to Read Stock Market Quotes

New York, American,  Nasdaq National Markets, or   Nasdaq Small-Cap Issues.

This information is taken and adapted for use by Pace University from the Dow Jones Talk Like a Pro pamphlet.  Any mistakes contained in the following belong to Pace University.

New York, American,  Nasdaq National Markets
The following is an example of the information you can find in Money and Investing section of  Wall Street Journal.

National Market in the Wall Street Journal


  • Columns 1&2  52-Week Hi-Lo Range:  The first two columns show the highest and lowest prices for the stock during the preceding 52-week period, not including the latest trading day.
  • Column 3  Company Name and Type of Stock:  If there are no special symbols or letters following the company name, it is common stock (shares without a fixed rate of return of investment.) However, among the symbols that may commonly appear next to a company are:
    • "pf" - Indicates the listing is preferred stock (shares that generally have a fixed rate of return.)  These shares of stock receive preference over common stock in the distribution of dividends.
    • "wt" - A warrant gives the holder the right to buy securities at stipulated prices, usually within a specified time limit.  Popular new listings are for warrants based on advances or declines in indexes of foreign markets, such as Japan's.
    • "rt" - Indicates that stockholders have been given the opportunity (or "right") to buy new securities in proportion to the number os hares they already own, within a given time period.  Since the stock offered is usually below the market value, rights have their own market and can be traded.
    • "un" - Refers to unit shares of stock, a combination of different securities that are sold together as a package.
    • "wi" "When Issued" - Indicates a conditional transaction in a security authorized for issuance but not actually issued.  All "when issued" transactions are on an "if" basis, to be settled if and when the actual security is issued. 
    • Other symbols that can appear in this column, and in the area to the left of the 52-week hi-lo range, are defined daily in the Footnotes box in the Wall Street Journal.
  • Column 4  Ticker symbol: This alphabetic symbol uniquely identifies the stock on the exchange's "ticker" as well as many other electronic information system and computer databases.
  • Column 5  Dividend Payment: This indicates the annual dividend payment per share designated by the company for stockholders.  On preferred shares, it is generally a fixed amount.  On common shares, it varies with the business condition of the company an is evaluated regularly by a firm's directors.  When a letter follows the dividend figure, refer to the Explanatory Notes on Page C3 or C4 of the Money & Investing section of the Wall Street Journal.
  • Column 6  Percent Yield:  This figure represents the dividend return an investor can expect on each share of stock.  It is calculated by dividing the annual dividend each share pays by its current market value, and is expressed as a percentage.
  • Column 7  Price-Earnings Ratio (PE):  This calculation is one way of evaluating a stock's relative performance and value.  It is computed by dividing the stock's price by the company's per-share earnings for the most recent four quarters.  Higher Price-Earnings multiples suggest the investors are more optimistic about a stock's prospects than comparable lower-PE stocks, but the reason for high and low PEs also include the company's growth outlook, the industry the company is engaged in, company accounting policies, and whether the firm is a startup or a more established business.
  • Column 8  Trading Volume:  This figure shows a total number of shares traded for the day, listed in hundreds.  Thus "363" would mean 36,300 shares (When a "z" precedes the volume number, the figure represents the actual number of shares traded.  For example, "z20" means 20 shares, not 2,000.)  Stocks with large volume surges compared with their usual activity are underlined.
  • Column 9  Hi/Lo:  This indicates the trading price range of the security during the day's trading.  If one of these represents a new 52-week high or low for the stock, a small up or down arrow appears to the far left of the stock's listing.  The new record will be reflected in the stock's 52-week hi-lo range on the following day.
  • Column 10  Close and Net Change:  The Close is the trading price recorded when the market closed on this day.  If the closing prices is up or down more than 5% from the precious day's close, the entire listing for the stock is bold-faced.  Net change indicates the difference between the closing price and the previous close.

NASDAQ Small-Cap Issues
The following is an example of the information you can find in the Wall Street Journal in the Money and Investing section.

NASDAQ Small-Cap Issues in the Wall Street Journal

  • Column 1 Company Name and Dividend:  Cash payouts are shown on an annualized basis when possible, the same as the NYSE format.  Exceptions are covered by footnotes.
  • Column 2 Volume:  This figure shows the total number of shares traded for the day.  Sales are shown in hundreds - "25" in the volume column means 2,400 shares traded.   The "z" footnote before a number means that this is the actual number of shares; "z25" means just 25 shares changed hands, not 2,500.
  • Column 3  Last:  The final price for the day.
  • Column 4  Change: The difference between the closing price and the previous closing price.

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