You read a stock quote in a few different parts. If you are just curious about the price of the stock, just look at the "quote." When people talk about what price a stock is trading at, it is this price. If you are trading the stock, you can check the bid price to see what sellers are selling the stock for, or the ask price to see what price buyers will pay. There is always a difference in these two numbers, and it is where market movers make their profits.