Stock Statistics to Consider In Financial Charts

Numerous basic stock statistics are often included with charts such as this reversal patterns PDF or on a page nearby. Below are some basic stock statistics.

1. Historical Data and 52-Week Range

The stock’s highest and most recent 52-week trading ranges show its lowest and highest prices in the last 12 months. You may also be able to see historical long-range prices in a table format.

2. Day Range

The stock’s current and previous trading days, as well as the lowest and highest prices traded on the day, are shown in the day range. The stock’s close and open prices are shown separately.

3. EPS

Earnings per share (EPS), which is the company’s net profit per outstanding share over the past 12 months, (also known as the trailing 12 month) are the earnings per share. Sometimes, such as Seeking Alpha, forward earnings per share (EPS) is presented. These are the projected EPS for next year, based on analyst estimates.

4. Ratio P/E

The price-to earnings (P/E ratio) is widely used to measure stock valuation. It takes the stock price, divides it by the most recent EPS reported for the year and then calculates the stock’s value. The P/E ratio is used by investors to estimate the time it will take to recover their investment. The forward P/E ratio will be reported in cases where forward EPS estimates are used.

5. Dividend Rate & Dividend Yield

Dividends are the return of profits to shareholders. They are usually in cash dividends. While not all companies pay dividends every year, those that do will usually state the annual dividend pay-out per share. Divide the annual dividend by the current stock price to get the dividend yield. This is the percentage of the company’s dividend pay-out.

6. Ex-Dividend Date

The date at which a dividend is no longer declared to new shareholders is called the ex-dividend. Investors must buy the stock before the ex-dividend day to receive the dividend. Stocks tend to fall by the same amount as the ex-dividend rate. If a stock trades at $100 and pays a $1 quarterly pay-out, investors may only be inclined to purchase the stock for $99 after the dividend ceases to be eligible.

7. Open, Close Price, Previous Close

The stock’s open price is its first trade price for the day. The stock’s closing price is its last trade price for the day. When the markets close, the previous close price will be reported to indicate the most recent valuation level.

8. Capacity Market

Market capitalization or market cap is a measure of a company’s total market value. It is calculated by adding the stock price to the number outstanding shares. Comparing company market caps to those of similar firms within the same industry is common.

9. Bid and ask

The current bid price for a stock or investment security is the highest, while the asking price is currently the lowest. The spread, or bid-ask spread, is the difference between the ask price and the bid price. The spread will be narrower if there is a lot of trading activity for a stock. The spread will be wider if there is less trading activity and fewer participants in the stock market. A wide spread in bid-ask spreads can lead to lower execution prices when buying and selling shares.

10. Average Trading Volume

Volume is the number of shares purchased and sold on a given day. Volume can indicate investor interest in a stock, particularly when it is compared to previous periods. A stock’s trading volume is useful to monitor. This is typically reported per trading day. The average volume of a stock will be reported by financial websites. This is usually the average daily trading volume over the past 20 to 30 trading sessions. If trading volume rises significantly above its average volume, it may indicate an increase in investor interest to purchase or sell the stock. Trading volume increases often occur prior to or after major company developments such as earnings releases, corporate announcements, new products, and major corporate developments. Stock price movements that occur on a high volume trading day are usually considered more meaningful.

11. One-Year Price Target Estimate

One-year price target estimates are a less common piece of data on primary stock pages. This is the average price target estimate by professional analysts who have issued one. This is sometimes called the consensus price target. Remember that price target forecasts can be only estimates and analysts may make incorrect forecasts from time to time.

12. Beta

Beta measures a stock’s volatility relative the stock market’s systematic risk (represented by the S&P 500 or total stock market index). A stock with a beta greater than 1 indicates that it has experienced greater volatility over the overall stock market during a specific period.

Beta that is lower than one, but higher than zero, has been more volatile than the stock market.

Important: Beta can be used to indicate how a stock might move relative to market swings. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.