top of page
Blog

Our blog features posts about a variety of personal finance topics. Sign-up for our newsletter to receive weekly blog updates.

Describing Historic And Current Stock Prices

Writer: Crawford UlmerCrawford Ulmer

Prices of stocks move up and down all the time. There are different ways to describe historic and current stock prices.


Last/current


As in its name, the last/current price is the most recent price at which a stock was traded.


Open


The opening stock price is the first price the stock trades at during the day. This price does not have to be the same as the previous day’s close – a stock can “gap-up” or “gap-down.”


Close


The closing price is the last price the stock trades at during the day, before the exchange closes.


Bid/Ask


The bid is the highest price at which buyers are willing to purchase the stock. The ask is the lowest price at which sellers are willing to sell the stock. The difference between the bid and ask is the “spread.” This topic can be a little complicated, so we may cover it in a future post.


Day’s Range


The day’s range is the total range of prices the stock has traded at throughout the day – lowest to highest.


52 Week Range


The 52 week range is the total range of prices the stock has traded at throughout the last year – lowest to highest.


Example


Here is a screenshot of a quote for Ford Motor Company (ticker symbol = F) from Yahoo Finance:

You can see most of the different prices defined above. The previous close was 12.00 a share. The open was 12.06. The bid is 12.16. The ask is 12.19. The day’s range was 11.84 to 12.18. The 52 week range was 10.61 to 16.68.


If you have any comments, questions, or ideas for future posts, please let me know


I hope you found this post helpful and educational. If you have any comments, questions, or ideas for future posts, please let me know. You can reach me directly via email at crawford@ulmerfinancial.com.

Comments


ULMER FINANCIAL_WITHOUT BACKGROUND_WHITE_MAIN_LOGO_FILE_TRANSPARAN_edited.png
ULMER FINANCIAL_WITHOUT BACKGROUND_WHITE_MAIN_LOGO_FILE_TRANSPARAN_edited.png
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2025 by Ulmer Financial LLC

 

Check the background of your financial professional on the Securities and Exchange Commission's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.

Ulmer Financial LLC (“UF”) is a registered investment advisor offering advisory services in the State of Virginia and in other jurisdictions where exempt. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

 

The information on this site is not intended as tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. This information should not be relied upon as the sole factor in an investment making decision.

Past performance is no indication of future results. Investment in securities involves significant risk and has the potential for partial or complete loss of funds invested. It should not be assumed that any recommendations made will be profitable or equal any performance noted on this site. 

 

The information on this site is provided “AS IS” and without warranties of any kind either express or implied. To the fullest extent permissible pursuant to applicable laws, Ulmer Financial LLC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, non-infringement, and suitability for a particular purpose.

UF does not warrant that the information on this site will be free from error. Your use of the information is at your sole risk. Under no circumstances shall UF be liable for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the information provided on this site, even if UF or a UF authorized representative has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Information contained on this site should not be considered a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any security in any jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation, or recommendation would be unlawful or unauthorized.

bottom of page