Quote

Stock trading dictionary: meaning, example and how traders use it.

Last updated: October 17, 2026

Definition: A stock quote is a snapshot of a security's current trading information, typically showing the last trade price, the bid and ask, the day's change, high, low, and volume. Quotes can be real time or delayed.

What a stock quote includes

Most quote displays share the same core fields:

  • Last price: the price of the most recent trade.
  • Bid and ask: the highest price a buyer is offering and the lowest price a seller will accept, often with the number of shares at each.
  • Change: how far the last price is from the previous closing price, in dollars and percent.
  • Open, high, and low: the day's first trade and its trading range.
  • Volume: the number of shares traded so far that day.

Detailed quote pages often add the 52-week range, market capitalization, P/E ratio, and dividend yield.

Quote example

Suppose a quote reads: Last $82.40, change +$1.15 (+1.42%), bid $82.38 x 300, ask $82.41 x 500, volume 3.2 million. That tells you the previous close was $81.25, buyers are bidding for 300 shares at $82.38, sellers are offering 500 shares at $82.41, and the bid-ask spread is three cents. A market buy order would likely fill near $82.41, while a market sell would likely fill near $82.38.

Real-time vs delayed quotes

Real-time quotes reflect trades and orders as they happen. Many free websites show delayed quotes, often 15 minutes or more behind, because exchanges charge fees for live data. A quote labeled "consolidated" combines activity from all US exchanges and trading venues, while some displays show only a single venue.

Traders also distinguish Level 1 quotes, which show only the best bid and ask, from Level 2 data, which shows multiple price levels of the order book. Outside regular market hours, quotes can be sparse and spreads wider.

Common mistakes when reading a quote

One frequent error is treating the last price as the price you will get. In a fast market, the bid and ask may already have moved, and a market order can fill at a noticeably different level. Another is ignoring the quote's time stamp, which matters when data is delayed or when you are looking at a pre-market or after-hours print. A third is comparing percentage change without considering what happened the previous day, such as an ex-dividend date or a stock split adjustment. Checking the bid, ask, size, and time together gives a more accurate picture.

How investors use stock quotes

Quotes help you set a realistic limit price, judge liquidity from the size of the spread, and see how a stock is moving relative to the market. You can look up current information on individual stocks such as Apple (AAPL). For longer-term decisions, a single quote matters less than the trend shown on a chart and the company's fundamentals.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a stock quote different on different websites?

Sites may use different data feeds, show delayed rather than real-time prices, or display a single exchange instead of the consolidated market. Timing differences of a few seconds can also change the last price.

What does bid x size mean in a quote?

The number after the bid or ask shows how many shares are available at that price. On many US quote displays the size is shown in round lots of 100 shares, so check how your platform presents it.

Are free stock quotes real time?

Some are and some are not. Many free sites show quotes delayed by 15 minutes or more, while most brokerages provide real-time quotes to account holders.

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For information only, not investment advice. See the disclaimer.