How to Find Stock Symbols

Go to an established, reliable stock Web site, such as nasdaq.com or etrade.com.
Click on 'Symbol Look Up.'
Type in the name of the company you want to research. The results will display the company symbol, the type of stock (common or preferred) and the exchange it trades on. Amazon, for example, trades on the Nasdaq as common stock. Its symbol is AMZN.

How to Read Stock Quotes Online From Yahoo! Finance

Go to the Yahoo! Finance Web site (see Resources section).
Find the 'Get Quotes' box at the top left of the home page.
Type in your stock's ticker symbol into the box.
Click the 'Get Quotes' button.
Look at the gray bar across the top of the page with the name of your stock appearing in large black letters. The current price quote for that stock will be in large black numbers directly across from the stock name.
Spot the arrow next to the current price of the stock. If the arrow is green and pointing upward, the stock price is trading up by the amount shown next to the green arrow. However, if the arrow is red and pointing down, the stock price is trading down by the amount show next to the red arrow.