Interpreting securities tables

Stock table Stock market tables help the traders in revealing the history and current performance of the stock. It is used for predicting which stock holds the top rank thereby aiding the traders in picking up the right stock.

The components of a stock table 52-week high: This column gives you the highest price that particular stock has reached in the most recent 52-week period

The components of a stock table 52-week low: This column gives you the lowest price that particular stock has reached in the most recent 52-week period

The components of a stock table Name and symbol: This column tells you the company name (usually abbreviated) and the stock symbol assigned to it. Financial tables list stocks in alphabetical order by symbol, and you need to use them in all stock communications.

The Components of a stock table Volume: This column tells you how many shares of that particular stock were traded that day. If only 100 shares are traded in a day, the trading volume is 100.

The Components of a Stock Table Dividend: A value in this column indicates that payments have been made to stockholders. The amount you see is the annual dividend quoted as if you owned one share of that stock.

The Components of a Stock Table Yield: This column refers to what percentage that particular dividend is to the stock price. Yield, which is most important to income investors, is calculated by dividing the annual dividend by the current stock price

The Components of a Stock Table P/E: This column indicates the ratio between the price of the stock and the company’s earnings. This ratio (also called the earnings multiple or just multiple) is frequently used to determine whether a stock is a good value

The Components of a Stock Table Day last: This column tells you how trading ended for a particular stock on the day represented by the table. Some newspapers report the high and low for that day in addition to the stock’s ending price.

The Components of a Stock Table Net change: This column answers the question “How did the stock price end today compared with its trading price at the end of the prior trading day?

The Components of a Stock Table Dividends (shown under the “Div” column) are basically payments to owners (stockholders). If a company pays a dividend, it’s shown in the dividend column Yield is a return on the money you invest. However, in the stock tables, yield (“Yld”) is a reference to what percentage that particular dividend is of the stock price. Yield is most important to income investors. It’s calculated by dividing the annual dividend by the current stock price

The Components of a Stock Table EPS is the net income, or profit, a company generates during a period for each share of common stock it has outstanding

Performance Activity What does each item tell an investor? How are these numbers relevant to the short-term investor? To the long-term investor? What might explain the differences, if any, between the two sources of this information? Where can you find analyst research and recommendations on a particular company's stock?