How to Track Institutional Stock Trades (5 Steps)

Select a stock you want to pursue and search for it in the stock quote window of almost any search engine or to any brokerage firm website. Enter the stock symbol and when the quote appears, look for and click the 'research' tab. Some sites, like Yahoo Finance, will display the research options automatically on the same page.
Click on 'ownership' or 'holdings.' Under this tab, you'll see the various entities that own the stock. There will be several choices such as 'Insiders' and a few others. One of the headings will be 'Institutions' or 'Institutional.' Here you will find a list of Institutions that own the stock. You'll see how many shares they own and what percentage they hold of the shares outstanding.
Check to see if you're in good company. What are some of the institutions and are they institutions whose judgment you trust? If what you see piques your interest, then take it a step further.
Track institutional activity in the stock. Since institutions don't typically broadcast their trades so as not to tip their hands to the competition, tracking real-time institutional trades is difficult; however, if you check back a couple of times a day, you'll see trades not long after they've taken place. If there's a change, note if it's an increase or decrease in the institution's holdings. Especially important are any instances of institutions selling all their stock, or a new institution investing in it.
Use the information wisely. If after a few weeks or months you notice institutions are increasing their holdings, you know interest is up on the stock. If the number of shares is dropping from institutions, then momentum is slowing and you should try to find out why before investing. Here's hoping you make a bundle!

How to Buy Stock Online Immediately

Sign up for an account through an on-line brokerage company. There are links to 'E*TRADE,' 'ShareBuilder' and 'Zecco' below, but there are many more to choose from. Click 'Sign Up,' and follow the prompts to complete your registration.
Transfer money into the brokerage account. This will normally take one business day to be processed and appear in your account.
Once the money has posted to your account, find the ticker symbol of the stock you want to buy on the site's research page. Once you know the symbol, go to your site's quotes page, type in the symbol and click 'Get Quote,' or your site's equivalent.
Select 'Buy' once the quote comes up. Select the amount of shares you would like to purchase. Then you will be asked if you would like to place a market order or a limit order. With a limit order, you set the exact price you want to pay. A market order buys the stock at the price sellers are asking at the moment.
Confirm the trade when your site asks you to, and in a moment you will receive a notification that your trade was accepted or declined. Your trade will usually only be declined if you do not have enough funds to cover it.

How to Purchase Ford Motor Stock Directly (6 Steps)

Launch your Internet browser and navigate to the Ford.com website.
Click the 'Investors' tab in the upper right corner of the display screen. This opens a new page specifically for investors of the Ford Motor Company.
Select 'Buy Ford Stock' from the 'Investor Relations' section. This launches the 'Computer Share Investor Centre.'
Click the 'Buy Now' button next to 'Ford Motor Company.' There is a minimum of $500 that needs to be spent to purchase the stock.
Click 'Create Login.' A new page loads. Type in the ticker symbol 'F,' followed by your Social Security number and your ZIP code and click 'Submit.'
Add your payment information and type in the amount of money or stock you want to purchase. Submit your order to complete the direct stock purchase process.

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.

How to Buy Caterpillar Direct Stock

Obtain and read Caterpillar's DSPP prospectus before you enroll. The prospectus presents complete details of the plan, including all fees, terms and conditions. You can request a copy of the prospectus and enrollment form by mail by calling (866) 353-7849 (for TTY 1-800-231-5469). However, you can view the prospectus and a plan summary on the BNY Mellon direct stock purchase plan website (link below). When the page comes up, click on InvestorDirect Search, enter 'Caterpillar' and follow the prompts. You can choose to view the Caterpillar plan materials (prospectus) or plan summary.
Decide how much you want to invest. You can start with as little as $250 by check or electronic debiting. However, this requirement is waived if you set up monthly automatic debits. You can enroll by mail or use the enrollment wizard to sign up online (on the same webpage described in Step 1).
Enroll by filling out the enrollment and authorization forms. You will need to provide your personal information, including your Social Security number and bank account information. For electronic funds transfers, you must complete an authorization form. There is a one-time $15 setup fee. Once you complete the online form or drop a paper form in the mail, you're on your way to becoming a Caterpillar shareholder.
Make additional investments with deposits of as little as $25 (there is a monthly maximum of $10,000). When you buy Caterpillar stock directly, there is a $1-per-purchase fee ($2.50 for paper checks) plus 3 cents per share (as of 2009).