How it works
Your total return combines everything a share gave you: the change in price, any dividends received, minus the brokerage and charges you paid.
Total return (₹) = (selling price − buying price) × shares + dividends − costs
Total return (%) = total return ÷ amount invested × 100
Because a 20% return over one year is very different from 20% over five years, the calculator also shows an annualised return, also called the compound annual growth rate (CAGR):
CAGR = (ending value ÷ starting value)^(1 ÷ years) − 1
Worked example
Worked example: 100 shares held for two years
You bought 100 shares at ₹250, received ₹12 per share in dividends over two years, sold at ₹310, and paid ₹150 in brokerage and charges.
| Amount invested: 100 × ₹250 | ₹25,000 |
|---|---|
| Capital gain: 100 × (₹310 − ₹250) | ₹6,000 |
| Dividends: 100 × ₹12 | ₹1,200 |
| Costs | −₹150 |
| Total return | ₹7,050 (28.2%) |
| Annualised over 2 years | about 13.2% a year |
28.2% sounds like a lot, but spread over two years it is about 13.2% a year. Annualising makes holdings of different lengths comparable.
Limitations
- Tax is not included. Gains and dividends may be taxed, and the rules depend on how long you held the shares and on current law.
- Dividends are treated as cash received, not reinvested. If you reinvested them, your actual result would differ.
- A paper gain is not a realised gain. If you enter today's price instead of a selling price, the result can change tomorrow.
- One share's result says nothing about your skill. Judge decisions across all your holdings, including the losers.