A stock symbol is an abbreviation for a company's share that is listed on stock exchanges. It is a one-of-a-kind code made up of letters, numbers, or a combination of the two. It is used to distinguish one stock from other securities.
It aids investors in identifying a company's security. It also makes placing orders and distinguishing between asset classes easier.
Stock symbols also allow traders to distinguish between stock classes. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK), for example, has two classes of shares listed on the NASDAQ: class A shares trade as BRK.A and class B shares (with fewer voting rights) trade as BRK.B.

A stock symbol, or ticker symbol, is a unique series of letters representing a publicly traded company's shares on a stock exchange. These symbols provide a concise and standardized way to identify and trade a company's stocks. For example, well-known symbols include "AAPL" for Apple Inc. and "GOOGL" for Alphabet Inc. Investors use these symbols to track stock prices, analyze market performance, and execute trades. Stock symbols play a crucial role in simplifying the complex world of financial markets, and facilitating efficient communication and transactions among investors, traders, and financial institutions.