Stock Return Calculator
Total return from price gain + dividends - absolute and annualized.
Also available in German: Aktien-Rendite-Rechner →
Inputs
Share price
Also called: Stock price, market price
Where to find it: Any finance site (Google/Yahoo Finance) — the current trading price per share.
How to derive: Set by the market; just enter the current price per share.
Share price
Also called: Stock price, market price
Where to find it: Any finance site (Google/Yahoo Finance) — the current trading price per share.
How to derive: Set by the market; just enter the current price per share.
Result, live
CAGR makes investments comparable: +60% over 4 years = 12.5% p.a. - always count dividends!
The stock return calculator shows your total return from price gain plus dividends – once as an absolute figure and once per year (CAGR). That lets you compare investments with different holding periods on equal terms.
How the formula works
Total return adds the sell price and dividends received, then compares them with your buy price. The CAGR turns that into the annual rate that would produce the same result over the holding period.
Example: bought at $50, now $80, plus $6 of dividends over 4 years – that's +72% in total, or about 14.5% p.a.
How to read the result
- Total return – your full gain or loss over the whole holding period, dividends included.
- Annualized (CAGR) – the yearly average, which makes short and long investments comparable.
- For reference: the broad stock market returned roughly 7% p.a. over the long run.
What to watch out for
- The return is backward-looking – it says nothing about future performance.
- Taxes on gains and buy/sell fees are not deducted.
- Reinvested dividends could lift the real return slightly, depending on timing.