3-01 How to Look Up a “Ticker Symbol”
The first thing you must understand about trading stocks is that the exchanges have assigned each stock a unique “ticker symbol” for identification purposes. When researching stocks, getting quotes, and placing trades, you usually have to know the ticker symbol.
Stock ticker symbols are usually 1 to 5 letters long. (Occasionally they contain a “.” or a “-” to designate a subtle difference or class of shares.). Some of the oldest and biggest companies have only one letter as their stock symbol:
- C (Citigroup)
- F (Ford Motors)
- T (AT&T)
- X (U.S. Steel)
- Z (Woolworth)
Ticker symbols for some of the largest and most widely held stocks are below. These are the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average that you hear quoted all of the time:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average consists of the following 30 companies:
| Company | Symbol | Industry | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Co | AXP | Consumer Finance | 8/30/1982 |
| Amgen Inc | AMGN | Biotechnology | 8/31/2020 |
| Apple Inc | AAPL | Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals | 3/18/2015 |
| Boeing Co | BA | Aerospace and Defense | 3/12/1987 |
| Caterpillar Inc | CAT | Construction Machinery & Heavy Trucks | 5/6/1991 |
| Cisco Systems | CSCO | Communications Equipment | 6/8/2009 |
| Chevron Corp | CVX | Integrated Oil & Gas | 2/19/2008 |
| Goldman Sachs Group Inc | GS | Investment Banking & Brokerage | 9/20/2013 |
| Home Depot Inc | HD | Home improvement retailer | 11/1/1999 |
| Honeywell International Inc | HON | Industrial Conglomerates | 8/31/2020 |
| International Business Machines Corp | IBM | IT Consulting & Other Services | 6/29/1976 |
| Intel Corp | INTC | Semiconductors | 11/1/1999 |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | Pharmaceuticals | 3/17/1997 |
| Coca-Cola Co | KO | Soft Drinks | 3/12/1987 |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | JPM | Diversified Banks | 5/6/1991 |
| McDonald’s Corp | MCD | Restaurants | 10/30/1985 |
| 3M Co | MMM | Industrial Conglomerates | 8/91976 |
| Merck & Co Inc | MRK | Pharmaceuticals | 6/29/1979 |
| Microsoft Corp | MSFT | Systems Software | 11/1/1999 |
| Nike Inc | NKE | Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods | 9/20/2013 |
| Procter & Gamble Co | PG | Personal Products | 5/26/1932 |
| Travelers Companies Inc | TRV | Property & Casualty Insurance | 6/8/2009 |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | UNH | Managed Health Care | 9/14/2012 |
| Salesforce Inc | CRM | Application Software | 8/31/2020 |
| Verizon Communications | VZ | Integrated Telecommunication Services | 4/8/2004 |
| Visa Inc | V | Data Processing & Outsourced Services | 9/20/2004 |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc | WBA | Drug Retail | 6/26/2018 |
| Wal-Mart Inc | WMT | Hypermarkets & Super Centers | 3/17/1997 |
| Walt Disney Co | DIS | Broadcasting and Entertainment | 5/6/1991 |
| Dow Inc | DOW | Commodity Chemicals | 4/1/2019 |
Some ticker symbols have a sense of humor like LUV (Southwest Airlines), and YUM (Yum Brands), which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.