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:
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3M | MMM | Conglomerate | 1976-08-09 (as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) |
| Alcoa | AA | Aluminum | 1959-06-01 (as Aluminum Company of America) |
| American Express | AXP | Consumer finance | 1982-08-30 |
| AT&T | T | Telecommunication | 1999-11-01 (as SBC Communications) |
| Bank of America | BAC | Banking | 2008-02-19 |
| Boeing | BA | Aerospace and Defense | 1987-03-12 |
| Caterpillar | CAT | Construction and Mining Equipment | 1991-05-06 |
| Chevron Corporation | CVX | Oil & gas | 2008-02-19 |
| Cisco Systems | CSCO | Computer networking | 2009-06-08 |
| Coca-Cola | KO | Beverages | 1987-03-12 |
| DuPont | DD | Chemical industry | 1935-11-20 (also 1924-01-22 to 1925-08-31) |
| ExxonMobil | XOM | Oil & gas | 1928-10-01 (as Standard Oil) |
| Walgreens-Boots Alliance | WBA | Pharmacy and Healthcare | 2018-06-07 |
| Hewlett-Packard | HPQ | Technology | 1997-03-17 |
| The Home Depot | HD | Home improvement retailer | 1999-11-01 |
| Intel | INTC | Semiconductors | 1999-11-01 |
| IBM | IBM | Computers and Technology | 1979-06-29 |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | Pharmaceuticals | 1997-03-17 |
| JPMorgan Chase | JPM | Banking | 1991-05-06 (as J.P. Morgan & Company) |
| Kraft Foods | KFT | Food processing | 2008-09-22 |
| McDonald’s | MCD | Fast food | 1985-10-30 |
| Merck | MRK | Pharmaceuticals | 1979-06-29 |
| Microsoft | MSFT | Software | 1999-11-01 |
| Pfizer | PFE | Pharmaceuticals | 2004-04-08 |
| Procter & Gamble | PG | Consumer goods | 1932-05-26 |
| Travelers | TRV | Insurance | 2009-06-08 |
| United Technologies Corporation | UTX | Conglomerate | 1939-03-14 (as United Aircraft) |
| Verizon Communications | VZ | Telecommunication | 2004-04-08 |
| Wal-Mart | WMT | Retail | 1997-03-17 |
| Walt Disney | DIS | Broadcasting and Entertainment | 1991-05-06 |
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.