Basic Terms4 min read

What is Stock Symbol or Ticker? How Companies Are Identified on NSE

A stock symbol, also called a ticker, is a short alphabetical code used to identify a company's shares on a stock exchange. On NSE, Reliance Industries is identified by the symbol RELIANCE. TCS uses TCS. Infosys uses INFY. These shortcodes make it easy to search, trade, and track stocks without typing the full company name.

Stock symbols are like licence plates on cars. Instead of describing the entire vehicle, the plate gives you a quick, unique identifier. When a financial news channel displays a scrolling ticker showing HDFCBANK up 1.5%, they are using the stock symbol to identify the company quickly.

How Are Stock Symbols Assigned?

Companies choose their ticker symbol at the time of listing, subject to exchange approval. The symbol must be unique on that exchange. Most companies pick something intuitive. Tata Consultancy Services uses TCS. State Bank of India uses SBIN. Maruti Suzuki uses MARUTI.

Some symbols are less obvious. Hindustan Unilever uses HINDUNILVR. Bajaj Auto uses BAJAJ-AUTO. New listings occasionally face conflicts with existing symbols and must choose alternatives.

Can a Stock Have Different Symbols on NSE and BSE?

Yes. While many companies use the same symbol on both exchanges, some have different codes. BSE often uses a numerical script code alongside the alphabetical symbol. When placing orders, make sure you are using the correct symbol for the exchange you are trading on. Your broker platform typically handles this automatically.

What Happens to the Symbol When a Company Changes Its Name?

When a company changes its name, the exchange updates the ticker symbol to reflect the new name. For example, when YES Bank underwent changes, the symbol remained YESBANK. When HDFC merged with HDFC Bank, the listed entity continued as HDFCBANK. Symbol changes are announced by the exchange in advance.

Investments in securities market are subject to market risks. This article is for educational purposes only.

Frequently Asked Questions

I searched for a company but two symbols appeared. Which one is correct?

Some companies have multiple listed securities, such as equity shares and preference shares or debentures. Each has a different symbol. For regular equity investing, look for the symbol with 'EQ' series on NSE. If in doubt, check the company's official name and ISIN on the exchange website to confirm you are selecting the right security.

Can I look up a stock by its BSE script code instead of the symbol?

Yes. BSE assigns a numerical script code to each listed security. For example, Reliance Industries has BSE code 500325. You can search using either the code or the symbol on BSE. Most broker platforms accept both.

Is the stock symbol the same as the ISIN?

No. The stock symbol is a short trading identifier specific to an exchange. ISIN is a 12-character global identifier that works across all exchanges and countries. TCS has the symbol 'TCS' on NSE but its ISIN is INE467B01029. The symbol is for trading convenience. ISIN is for universal identification.

Do index names like NIFTY 50 also have symbols?

Yes. Indices have their own symbols. NIFTY 50 is represented as NIFTY on NSE. BankNIFTY is BANKNIFTY. SENSEX is used for BSE's main index. These symbols are used in F&O trading to identify index futures and options contracts.

Can a company change its stock symbol voluntarily?

Companies can request a symbol change from the exchange, usually after a name change or corporate restructuring. The exchange processes the request and announces the new symbol with an effective date. All open orders in the old symbol are typically cancelled and need to be re-entered with the new symbol.

Investments in securities market are subject to market risks. This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.