Equity Return Calculator
Stock return from price change and dividends.
Calculate total equity return from share price change and dividend yield. Enter buy price per share and sell price per share to see total return.
What this tool does
Enter buy and sell price, shares, and dividends received. The tool shows total return.
Enter Values
Formula Used
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Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Bought 100 shares at 10 (1,000), sold at 12 (1,200), received 40 dividends = 240 total return on 1,000 = 24%. Dividends often overlooked but material. Over long periods, dividends contribute 30-50% of total equity returns.
A worked example
Try the defaults: buy price per share of 10, sell price per share of 12, number of shares of 100, total dividends received of 40. The tool returns 24.00%. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.
What moves the number most
The result responds to Buy Price per Share, Sell Price per Share, Number of Shares, and Total Dividends Received. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.
The formula behind this
Capital gain + dividends divided by cost. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.
Using this well
Treat the output as one point on a wider map. Run it three times — a pessimistic case, a central case, and a stretch case — and plan against the pessimistic one. That habit alone separates people who stick with an investment plan from those who bail at the first wobble.
What this doesn't capture
Steady-rate math ignores real-world volatility. Actual returns are lumpy; sequence-of-returns risk matters most in drawdown; fees and taxes drag on compound growth; and behaviour changes in drawdowns can reduce outcomes below the projection. Treat the number as one scenario, not a forecast.
Equity return produces a total return based on the inputs provided.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
Capital gain + dividends divided by cost.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Dividends before or after tax?
Transaction costs?
Still holding?
Annualised?
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