Total Return Calculator
Combine price change and dividends into one honest total return — plus the annualized (CAGR) figure so you can compare holdings of different lengths.
How it works
Total return % = (price change + dividends) ÷ buy price × 100 · CAGR = (1 + total return)^(1/years) − 1
Price appreciation is only half the story; dividends you collect (and could reinvest) are real return too. Total return adds them together and measures the sum against what you paid. Because a 60% gain over two years is very different from 60% over ten, the annualized figure re-expresses total return as a steady yearly rate so holdings of different lengths can be compared on equal footing.
Worked example
Buy 100 shares at $100 ($10,000), price rises to $140, and you collected $12 per share in dividends. Price return is 40%, dividend return is 12%, total return 52% — a $5,200 gain. Held four years, that is a CAGR of (1.52)^(1/4) − 1 ≈ 11.1% a year.
Frequently asked questions
Should dividends be reinvested for total return?
Total return assumes you keep the dividends, whether spent or reinvested. If you reinvested them into more shares, your actual outcome is a bit higher because those shares also grew — the dividend-reinvestment calculator handles that case.
Why annualize the return?
A raw total return hides how long it took. Annualizing (CAGR) converts it to the equivalent steady yearly rate, so a stock held two years and one held ten can be compared directly.
What about taxes and fees?
This is a pre-tax, pre-fee figure. Selling costs and taxes on gains and dividends reduce what you keep — the break-even sell price tool shows how much you need just to cover them.
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Educational estimate, not investment advice. Markets involve risk of loss and future returns are never guaranteed.