| Sargent & Lundy Savings Investment Plan |
| READING THE STOCK TABLES |
| The following information is from the
November 1995 "Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Magazine". The information provided may or may not
represent the opinions of the SIP Committee. After you buy stocks, you need to track them. Here are the basics for making sense of the numbers in the newspaper. 52-Week High-Low Lists the stock's highest and lowest prices in the past year. The range between the two prices is a quick measure of the stock's volatility. When compared with the current price, the high and low can also indicate the direction the stock has headed recently. Stock Companies are listed alphabetically, often shortened versions of their actual names. Some newspapers also list the stock's symbol. Dividend Usually abbreviated Div, this lists the stock's annual dividend payout based on the most recent quarterly rate, expressed in dollars and cents per share. If the listing is, say, 0.52, that means an investor with 100 shares of that stock would receive $52 in yearly dividend payments, most likely in $13 quarterly payments. Yield Usually abbreviated Yld, this is the stock's current annual dividend rate divided by its closing price. The yield is expressed as a percentage of the stock's price and is one way to measure a stock's value. But the ultimate success of any stock is determined by increases or decreases in stock price as well as dividend payments. Price-Earnings Ratio Usually abbreviated PE, it is the closing price divided by the company's earnings per share in the previous 12 months. This figure gives investors an idea of how much they are paying for a company's earning power. Young, fast-growing companies generally have a high P/E and are riskier investments, while slower-growing, established, more economically sensitive companies tend to have a lower P/E. Volume Usually listed as Vol, or Sales, this figure multiplied by 100 reveals the number of shares traded the previous day. An unusually large trading volume, indicated when the stock listing is underlined, means buyers and sellers are reacting to new information. High-low High and low prices during the previous trading day. Last or Close Closing price of the stock. Change Gain or loss from the previous day's close. |
This page updated on 7/28/97