In plain text
Value = (I) ÷ (P_start) × P_end Yearly return = ((V) ÷ (I))^(1/t) - 1
What does this calculator show?
It shows what a stock investment would be worth on an end date, if you had bought the shares on an earlier date. You enter both share prices and the amount invested. The result is a price-based estimate of the value and the return, and it does not depend on any live quote.
Where do the prices come from?
This version does not look up prices for you. Find the closing price on each date from a market data source you trust, such as the exchange or your broker's historical price page. Enter both prices yourself, and check the dates match the periods you want to compare.
Why do stock splits matter?
If a company split its shares, the price per share changed on paper, but your holding did not lose value. Unadjusted prices from before and after a split make the return look very wrong. Use prices adjusted for splits, which most data sources label as adjusted.
How does the calculation work?
The shares you would have bought are the amount invested divided by the purchase-date price, and fractional shares are allowed. The value on the end date is those shares times the end-date price. The gain is that value minus the amount invested.
The average yearly price return is the rate that grows the amount invested to the end value over the years you entered, compounded each year.
Why is this a price return and not a total return?
The result only uses the share price. Dividends paid during the period are left out, so the true return for a dividend-paying stock was likely higher. If the stock paid dividends, use the stock profit loss calculator to add them to a single sale, or count them separately.
What can the result not tell me?
A past result does not predict the future. The calculator does not model taxes, trading fees, or the timing of purchases over the period, and it assumes you bought on exactly the date you entered. It cannot tell you what a stock would have done if you had sold earlier or bought at a different time.
Use the result to understand a past price move, not as a basis for expecting similar returns.
