Stock Return Calculator
See how a stock investment would have performed over time. Enter a ticker symbol, investment date, and amount to calculate historical returns with real price data.
If you invested $10,000 in AAPL on January 3, 2020 when it traded at $75.09 (split-adjusted), your investment would be worth approximately $32,500 today — a 225% total return with a 22.1% annualized return (CAGR).
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Look up historical stock performanceResults
Your investment performanceEnter a stock symbol, date, and amount to see how your investment would have performed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key concepts for evaluating performance
What is CAGR?
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) measures the average annual return of an investment over a period, assuming profits are reinvested. The formula is: CAGR = (Ending Value / Beginning Value)^(1/Years) - 1.
CAGR is the best metric for comparing investments held over different time periods. A stock that doubled in 5 years (CAGR: 14.9%) outperformed one that tripled in 12 years (CAGR: 9.6%), even though the total return was lower. It smooths out volatility to show the true annualized growth rate.
Why use historical returns?
Past performance does not guarantee future results — but historical returns are valuable for benchmarking. Comparing a stock's actual performance against the S&P 500 or other benchmarks reveals whether an investment added value relative to the broader market.
Historical analysis also helps you understand a stock's volatility, drawdown behavior, and recovery patterns. These insights inform position sizing and risk management decisions, even though the specific returns won't repeat exactly.
Should I include dividends in stock return calculations?
Yes — dividends are a significant component of total return, especially for mature companies. The S&P 500's historical average return of ~10% includes reinvested dividends. Without dividends, the price-only return drops to roughly 7%. Ignoring dividends understates the true performance of income-paying stocks.
Our calculator uses adjusted close prices that account for stock splits but not dividends, which means the actual total return for dividend-paying stocks would be higher than shown. Always consider both price appreciation and income when evaluating investments.
How do I compare stocks using this calculator?
Use the multi-symbol comparison feature to evaluate how different stocks performed over the same period. Enter the same investment amount and date for each stock to get an apples-to-apples comparison. The S&P 500 benchmark (SPY) is automatically included.
Focus on CAGR rather than total return when comparing stocks held for different lengths of time. A 50% total return over 2 years (CAGR: 22.5%) significantly outperformed a 100% return over 8 years (CAGR: 9.1%). CAGR normalizes for time and reveals the true compounding power of each investment.
Your Privacy is Protected
This calculator sends the symbol, date, and amount you enter to our server so we can fetch historical market data and render the result. We do not save those entries as a portfolio or account, but standard web server logs may still record the page request.
For informational and educational purposes only — not investment advice.
