How To Read Stocks: 16 Things You Should Be Familiar With

The stock quote gives plenty of insight into the company. Understand how to read stocks in order to make better purchase decisions when you are just getting started investing in the stock market.

It would be a very difficult task to buy a stock without knowing how to read a stock quote first. Even if the stock was recommended to you and you have done zero research on the actual company (we would advise against this), knowing how to read stock numbers is imperative. When researching stocks, it is sometimes overwhelming the amount of information available to you. Every element of the stock quote tells a different story about the company and is essential to make your investment decision. Read on to find out more about the stock quote and the various components of which it is made up. Once you know the basics, then you can start making money with the Motley Fool Stock Picks.

What Is a Stock Quote?

A stock quote is the price of a stock as quoted on the exchange. Stock quotes update in real-time as the stock is bought and sold through-out a trading session. A stock quote is also made up of other stats that help the buyer make an informed investment decision. There are many websites available that provide up-to-date stock quotes like in Wall Street Survivor’s league page.

16 Elements of a Quote Page You Need To Read Stocks

When you look up a stock quote, there are a variety of numbers, prices and diagrams that will appear. Understanding what they all mean will help you make an informed decision when purchasing a stock.

  1. Last Price

    The most recent price that the stock has traded at. The last price, however, is not the price you will be paying for the stock. Knowing how to read stock prices is an important part of investing, especially if you’re making shorter-term trades.

  2. Bid

    The highest price a buyer is currently willing to pay for a stock.

  3. Ask

    The lowest price at which a seller is currently willing to sell the stock at. When placing a market order, you are buying or selling a stock at the best available price.

  4. Today’s Change

    The change in price (and the percentage change) compared to yesterday’s closing price.

  5. Previous Day’s Close:

    This is the price of the stock for the last trade of the previous day.

  6. Today’s Open

    The first price at which this stock traded when the markets opened this morning. Note that stocks do not open at the same price that they closed at the day before due to after hours trading.

  7. Volume

    This indicates the number of shares that have traded hands today. Some stocks may trade millions of shares each day, and others only trade a few hundred or even zero (the higher the volume, the more liquid the stock is).

  8. 52 Week High

    This is the highest price the stock has traded at during the last 52 weeks.

  9. 52 Week Low

    This is the lowest price the stock has traded at during the last 52 weeks. The 52 week high/low allow you to compare the current price to its 52-week range.

  10. Charts

    Stock charts come in a variety of formats and there are whole investing techniques based around knowing how to read stock graphs. They all track pricing data, usually the OHLC (open, high, low close), but they can display this information in different styles (lines, bars, candlesticks), different date ranges (day, week, month, year, 5 years, 10 years) and other information like volume, moving averages and dozens of other indicators. Understanding stock charts is an important skill to have for long-term investors and day traders alike.

  11. Annual Dividends

    The amount, in dollars, the company will (but not obligated) pay to shareholders on a regular basis (usually monthly or quarterly).

  12. Annual Dividend Yield

    This is an important measure of return of the stock and is calculated by dividing the annual dividend amount by the current stock price. If the stock is at $10 and the company pay out a cash dividend of $0.50 per share, then the annual dividend yield is 5%.

  13. EPS

    Displays the company’s earnings (profit) per share. It is calculated by dividing the company’s most recent annual income by the number of shares outstanding.

  14. Market Cap (aka Market Capitalization):

    Is the total dollar market value of all of a company’s outstanding shares. Market cap is calculated by multiplying a company’s shares outstanding by the current market price of one share. This figure determines the company’s relative size.

  15. Price-Earnings Ratio (P/E)

    The P/E ratio is an important part of how to read financial statements for stocks. It is the ratio for valuing a company and measures its current share price relative to its per-share earnings.

  16. Beta

    Is used to measure the volatility of a stock as compared to the market as a whole. A beta of 1 means the stock moves up or down more quickly than the market overall; a beta between 0 and 1 means the stock doesn’t move as much as the market, and a negative beta means the stock moves in the opposite direction of the market.

Once you know how to read stock stats, find a website that gives you the type of information you are looking for when you get stock quotes. In addition to all of the information above, the Quotes Page at Wall Street Survivor also shows you the Zack’s Average Broker Ratings, which rate stocks on a Strong Buy to Hold to Strong Sell; it includes the Motley Fool’s one to five start rating; and it includes a quick technical analysis rating of the stock.


The Best Stock Newsletters as of June 29, 2025

Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks

We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share the results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Excess Return" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on last 3 years ending June 29, 2025:

RankStock NewsletterStock
Picks
Average
Return
Excess
Return
Percent
Profitable
Max %
Return
1.Seeking Alpha logo
Alpha Picks
7663%40%73%969%
Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See details in our Alpha Picks Review.July, 2025 Promotion:
Save $100
2.Moby logo tiny
Moby.co
30843.3%12.3%74%1764%
Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review.July, 2025 Promotion:Next pick free!
3.Motley Fool logo
Stock Advisor
7241.2%6.9%78%258%
Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr.
Read our Motley Fool Review.
July, 2025 Promotion: Get $100 Off
4.Zacks logo
Value Investor
3917.5%6.1%38%410%
Summary: 10-25 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review.July, 2025 PROMOTION:$1, then $495/yr
5.Motley Fool logo
Rule Breakers
6640.0%4.7%61%311%
Summary: 2 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review.Current Promotion: Save $200
6.TipRanks logo
TipRanks SmartInvestor
12110.6%3.7%55%340%
Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review.Current Promotion: Save $180
7.TheStreet logo
Action Alerts Plus
39420.0%3.4%57%220%
Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review.Current Promotion: None
8.Motley Fool logo
Stock Advisor Canada
3632.3%0.5%69%378%
Summary: 1 pick/month from the Toronto stock exchange; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review.July, 2025 Promotion: Save $100
Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their last 3 years of stock picks' performance through May 31, 2025 as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF.
Build your wealth faster with best stock picks: See our new June 29, 2025 ranking of the Best Stock Newsletters.

The Best U.S. Brokerages as of June 30, 2025

Ranking of Top U.S. Stock Brokerages Based on Fees, Features, and Sign-Up Bonuses

We are experienced users of dozens of stock trading platforms. We stay up to date on these platforms' service offerings, subscription fees, trade commissions, and welcome bonuses. The brokerages listed below are for U.S.-based investors, and are ranked in order of overall value received after taking advantage of their sign-up and/or referral offers.

Rank Brokerage Fees Features Sign-Up Bonus Read Our Review
1. robinhood-review Robinhood $0 ✅ U.S. stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptos
✅ Now 23 million users
✅ Cash mgt account and credit card
Free stock up to $200 with new account, plus up to $1,500 more in free stock from referrals Robinhood Review
2. Moomoo $0 ✅ Free Level 2 Nasdaq quotes
✅ Access to U.S. and Hong Kong markets
✅ Educational tools
60 free stocks with $5k deposit; or 25 free stocks with $2k deposit Moomoo Review
3. Interactive Brokers $0 ✅ Access 150+ global stock exchanges
✅ IBKR Lite & Pro tiers for all
✅ SmartRouting™ and deep analytics
Refer a Friend and Get $200 Interactive Brokers Review
4. Robinhood Gold $5 ✅ 4% APY on cash
✅ 3% IRA match
✅ Level II data
✅ No interest on first $1,000 of margin
 Save with Annual Fee Robinhood Gold Review
5. M1 Finance

$3 monthly

10k in assets

✅ Automated investing “Pies”
✅ Banking & low-interest loans
✅ No trading fees with scheduled trades
$75-$500 Tiered Sign-up bonus M1 Finance Review
6. Webull $0 ✅ Extended-hours trading
✅ Great charts and screeners
✅ Commission-free options trading
$10 and a 30-day complimentary subscription to Webull premium;
$200-$30,0000 Tiered Sign up bonus
Webull Review
7. Public $0 ✅ Fractional shares
✅ No payment for order flow model
✅ “Alpha” tool with earnings calls
$100-$10,000 Tiered Cash Account Transfer Bonus Public Review
8. Composer $32 a month ✅ Invest in automated strategies
✅ Build custom strategies easily
✅ IRAs
$49 per successful referral with no limit on the number of referrals Composer Review
9. Stash

Growth $3;

+ $9 Month

✅ Stock-Back® debit card rewards in fractional shares
✅ Auto-invest and budgeting tools
✅ Curated theme portfolios
$5 when you invest $5 Stash Review
10. Acorns

Bronze $3; Silver $6; Gold $12 a month

✅ Automated investing portfolios
✅ ESG curated portfolios
✅ Acorns Early Invest for Kids' Accounts
Get a $20 bonus when you start saving & investing Acorns Review
11. Etoro $0 ✅ CopyTrading™ to follow top traders
✅ Trade U.S. stocks, ETFs, and crypto
✅ Trades with themed portfolios
$10 Crypto Sign-Up Bonus Etoro Review
12. Cash App $0 ✅ U.S. stocks and bitcoin; $1 minimum
✅ Peer-to-peer payments
✅ Beginner-friendly financial ecosystem
Up to $200 in free overdraft coverage and earn 4% on cash Cash App Review
Fees, features, sign-up bonuses, and referral bonuses are accurate as of May 31, 2025. All information listed above is subject to change.

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