Advance reading columns
Year-to-date % change or YTD % CHG – This means how much the stock price changed since the beginning of the year. For example, we have been tracking MCD stock since the beginning of the year and the % change in the stock price is over +28% year to date as of this week ending October 5th, 2007.
52-Week High and Low or 52 Hi-Lo – These are the highest and lowest prices at which a stock has been bought or sold over the previous 52 weeks (for one year). Sometimes you will see an arrow or a special mark to show if this stock price is at a new 52-week low or high. MCD’s 52-week High and Low are $56.56 and $39.48.
Day High and Low or Day Hi-Lo– This indicates the price range at which the stock has traded throughout the day.In other words, these are the maximum and the minimum prices that people have paid for the stock. MCD Day High and Low is $56.56 – $55.93.
Trading Volume, Volume, or Vol. – This figure shows the total number of shares traded for the day, listed in hundreds.To get the actual number traded, add “00” to the end of the number listed. High volume means this stock is widely owned or that there is important news about the company that investors want to take advantage of by selling or buying the stock. You will also notice that large and famous companies typically have larger trade volumes. Above-average trading situations show out-of-normal trading activity that as an investor is important to decide if it is good or bad for the stock. Underlined or bold stock information means large volume change, compared to this stock’s average trading volume. MCD trading volume for the day is 6 million and the average is over 8 million.
Type of stock – You may see a special symbol after the company name for the ticker symbol, such as, ‘pf’. ‘Pf” means preferred stock and no symbol means it is a common stock. We will cover Common Stock and Preferred Stocks in our later issues.
Dividend Per Share, Dividend Yield, or YLD – This indicates the annual dividend payment per share and is shown as a percentage of price. It is calculated as annual dividends per share divided by price per share. If this space is blank, the company does not currently pay out dividends. As of Oct 5th, 2007, MCD’s dividend yield is $1.5 or 2.7%.
Price/Earnings Ratio, P/E, or PE – This is calculated by dividing the current stock price by earnings per share from the last four quarters. MCD P/E as of Oct 5th, 2007 is 32.53. What does P/E mean, will be discussed in our later issues.
Each paper has its codes to show specific stock information, and you should take time to read their descriptions. For example, Wall Street Journal has “How to read the stock tables” that tells you what the abbreviation and sign mean.
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