Total Stock Return Calculator: Measure Your Investment Performance
Total stock return tells you the real gain from a stock—price change plus dividends divided by your starting cost. The S&P 500 has delivered about a 10 % annual total return over the long run (S&P Dow Jones Indices, 2023).
Total Stock Return Calculator
Total Stock Return:
★ Add to Home Screen
×
Follow these steps:
Tap the Share button at the bottom of the browser
Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen”
Tap “Add” to confirm
Follow these steps:
Tap the menu icon (⋮) in the top right
Tap “Add to Home screen”
Tap “Add” to confirm
Follow these steps:
Click the menu icon (⋮) in the top right
Click “Bookmarks”
Click “Bookmark this tab” or press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on Mac)
Is this tool helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
How to use the tool
1. Initial price ($): Type what you paid per share, e.g., $25.40 or $112.75.
2. Ending price ($): Enter the current / sale price, such as $37.10 or $95.20.
3. Dividends ($): Add all cash dividends received—examples: $1.20 or $6.85.
4. Press “Calculate”: The tool returns one percentage showing overall profit or loss.
Results do not auto-adjust for splits—edit initial price accordingly (SEC Investor Bulletin, 2022).
FAQ
What does the calculator measure?
Total return shows the percentage gain or loss once you add dividends to price movement (Investopedia, 2023).
How do I annualize a multi-year total return?
Convert the result to a growth factor, raise it to rac{1}{years}, then subtract 1 (Morningstar Classroom, 2023).
Why include dividends?
Dividends supplied 32 % of the S&P 500’s total return between 1926-2022 (Hartford Funds, 2023).
Can I use this for ETFs or mutual funds?
Yes—replace share prices with fund NAVs and distributions with dividends (SEC Fund Basics, 2022).
Does the tool adjust for stock splits?
No. Update the initial price to post-split terms before calculating (SEC Investor Bulletin, 2022).
How frequently should I check total return?
Quarterly reviews align with standard portfolio monitoring cycles (CFA Institute, 2020).
Is total return the same as CAGR?
CAGR divides the growth evenly per year; total return gives the full period’s gain (Morningstar Classroom, 2023).
What do experts say about total return?
“Total return is the most comprehensive measure of investment performance” (CFA Institute, 2020).
Important Disclaimer
The calculations, results, and content provided by our tools are not guaranteed to be accurate, complete, or reliable. Users are responsible for verifying and interpreting the results. Our content and tools may contain errors, biases, or inconsistencies. We reserve the right to save inputs and outputs from our tools for the purposes of error debugging, bias identification, and performance improvement. External companies providing AI models used in our tools may also save and process data in accordance with their own policies. By using our tools, you consent to this data collection and processing. We reserve the right to limit the usage of our tools based on current usability factors. By using our tools, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this disclaimer. You accept the inherent risks and limitations associated with the use of our tools and services.
