LAP: QS-037 Reading Stock Tables

Objectives Define the common headings on a stock table. Interpret the information on a stock table. Demonstrate how to use various sources of stock quote information.

Define the common headings on a stock table.

 Traditionally found in newspapers  Vary somewhat, but all contain same basic information.  Using them is one way of being an informed investor.

 52-week highest and lowest prices  Companies’ abbreviated names and ticker symbols  Dividend, yield percentage, price-earnings ratio

 Volume, or sales, for the previous day (in hundreds)  Net change (difference between the closing price and the previous day’s closing price)  Last, or closing price

Interpret the information on a stock table.

 CedarF = CedarFair LP (amusement and water park company)  52-week price range can be an indicator of a stock’s volatility.  FUN = Ticker Symbol

DIV $1.84 dividend per share YLD Dividend ÷ closing price = 6.3% Price per share Earnings per share (cont’d) PE

ddFootnotes describe special circumstances. Publication will provide key for reading footnotes. —No number means no dividend was paid. (cont’d)

Compare this number to a “normal” volume. 65,100 shares traded on this day. (cont’d)

Cedar Fair’s closing price was 13 cents less than the previous day’s closing price.

Breaking news  Provide more information than stock tables in newspapers  Update information continuously Charts Company research Web sites can:

 CNBC provides 24-hour stock information.  Stock tickers scroll along the bottom of the screen. F 8.30 ▼ 0.17 SBC ▲ 0.30 ROH ▼ 0.28 C ▼ 0.17 BHI ▲

 For a fee, can be downloaded to computer

Demonstrate how to use various sources of stock quote information.

Know company’s name, abbreviation, and ticker symbol. Identify competitors. Identify source: print, Internet, TV. Ask questions. Remember to look at numbers over time.

 Stock price dropped to record low.  Volume reached record high.  Company experiencing difficulties.  Management couldn’t account for volatility.  How can investors keep track of this story? Quick Case

MarkED Acknowledgments Original Developers Lelia Ventling and Janet Coulon, MarkED Version 1.0 Copyright  2007 MarkED Resource Center

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