Markets & Investing
Stock total return
Use this stock total return calculator to include cash dividends and fees alongside an entered share-price change, with optional annualized holding-period return.
Your inputs
Complete only the fields for your selected method. Use one consistent job or reporting period. Zero means intentionally zero, not unknown. Missing costs and market rates are not added automatically. Currency selection labels amounts; it does not convert exchange rates.
How this calculation works
holding return = (net sale proceeds + cash dividends - acquisition cost) / acquisition cost; annualized return = (1 + holding return)^(365/days) - 1
Single initial purchase and ending valuation/sale, with cash dividends treated as ending receipts. No interim deposits, withdrawals or reinvestment. Annualization uses 365 days and does not predict future returns; use money-weighted methods for dated intermediate cash flows. Educational arithmetic from entered figures, not an investment recommendation, valuation opinion, forecast or guarantee. Taxes, inflation and foreign-exchange changes are excluded unless explicitly entered. Use one currency throughout; currency selection only changes labels.
What information do I need?
Use records for the same job, equipment or accounting period. Only the fields for your selected entry method are required. An unknown amount is not zero.
Input definitions and where to find them
- Number of shares (shares): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for number of shares. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Purchase price per share (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for purchase price per share. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Ending price per share (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for ending price per share. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Total cash dividends received for ALL shares (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for total cash dividends received for all shares. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Total purchase fees (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for total purchase fees. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Total sale fees (selected currency): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for total sale fees. Unknown is not the same as zero.
- Calendar days held (days): Use matching records or an explicitly identified assumption for calendar days held. Unknown is not the same as zero.
Use the Where to find this value controls beside the inputs for available work-it-out helpers. Estimates remain your assumptions; a helper does not verify the source figures.
Worked example
Example amounts use US dollars (USD).
Example answer: Total gain or loss including dividends is $590.00 for the illustrative inputs below.
Example inputs
- Number of shares: 100.00 shares
- Purchase price per share: $20.00
- Ending price per share: $25.00
- Total cash dividends received for ALL shares: $100.00
- Total purchase fees: $5.00
- Total sale fees: $5.00
- Calendar days held: 365 days
- Total gain or loss including dividends
- $590.00
- Holding-period total return
- 29.4264 %
- Equivalent annualized return
- 29.4264 %
- Net ending receipts including cash dividends
- $2,595.00
These illustrative values are not recommended rates or industry averages. Replace every example input with your own figures.
Use the result well
Use this stock total return calculator to include cash dividends and fees alongside an entered share-price change, with optional annualized holding-period return.
Keep inputs on the same scope and time basis. Calculations retain precision internally; displayed values generally round to two decimal places, with extra precision for very small values and whole-unit rounding where required. Economic comparisons describe your supplied assumptions and do not guarantee future results.
This tool provides business arithmetic. It does not approve engineering designs, establish legal or tax treatment, select equipment or certify safe operating conditions.