Was this bid / ask spread from the IBD ? Looking on TOS on the weekend I see the last price is 76.89 and the bid/ask is 75.11/78.42 so the spread is closer to $3 not $30 so I would say that is reasonable Most of the time you try to get mid price or better Don't confuse the stock with options I don't think you will find a stock with 5 cent spread I would use some TA and find an entry price where you would not mind buying it and place your buy there and wait for the stock to meet your price rather than chasing it up or overpay because of the wider bid / ask From the chart TKR looks like a slow mover and did not move much since last year so I would wait for the price to come down to around $70 which looks like a recent support and buy it there at the mid price I would not worry too much about the spread unless you are day trading it
That’s a helluva spread, even for stocks! I reckon if you don’t have a strategy that involves trading at a high rate, then it’s fine. Otherwise, it’s simply not worth it.