Newspaper Tables and Information Easy to Use

Feb 27, 2010
Max Sherry

The Internet is the most popular place to get stock information these days, but some people still prefer a newspaper. Sitting down and reading the facts from the local paper can sometimes be the most convenient and pleasurable way to learn about the stock market.

The format of stock pages changes slightly from paper to paper, but most papers carry the same information. Most papers even include a box showing exactly how their paper works. Don’t believe it? Open the local newspaper and find the business section.

How to Read the Stock Pages

In a daily Los Angeles Times paper there are eight columns of information.

The first two columns show the stock’s 52-week High and Low prices. Like the names imply, these are just the highest and lowest prices the stock traded for over the past 52 weeks. These figures are adjusted to reflect any stock splits. This information can come in handy because they show the range the stock has traded in for the past year. Is the stock near its peak or very far away?

The third column, called YTD % chg, portrays the stock’s percentage price change since the beginning of the year or its IPO (inital public offering). The YTD stands for year-to-date. Like the first two columns, this shows exactly where a stock stands from its high and low.

The fourth column, called Stock-Div, lists the namde of the company followed immediately by the dividend. The dividend is shown in an annual figure determined by the last quarterly or semiannual payout. If there is a small f after a dividend, that means it increased on the last declaration.

Reading the Stock Pages

The fifth column provides the stock’s yield. It is shown as an annualized percentage return provided by the dividend. This is a great way to identify an undervalued stock.

The sixth column shows the stock’s price-earnings ratio or P/E which is figured by dividing the closing price of the stock by the company’s total earnings per share for the latest four quarters. It is the most common measure of whether a stock is a good buy. An investor would rather buy a stock that has a low P/E as this means he or she is paying a relatively small amount to own a share in the earnings.

Read a Stock Page

The seventh and eighth columns show the closing price and dollar charge for the previous day.

Furthermore, there are footnotes sprinkled throughout stock tables that identify information like preferred stock shares, ex-dividend dates, and new stocks. These differ from paper to paper but should be defined in the paper’s explanatory notes.

In conclusion, a newspaper provides all the information an investor needs without the constant effort of searching Internet sites for pertinent information or the seemingly endless predictions of television pundits.