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The Capital Gains Yield Calculator helps investors measure the price appreciation (or depreciation) of a stock or asset relative to its original purchase price. This percentage-based metric is one of the two components of total stock return, the other being dividend yield.
Capital gains yield represents the percentage change in a security's price over a given period. It is calculated by dividing the change in price (capital gains) by the original purchase price. A positive yield indicates the asset increased in value, while a negative yield means the asset lost value.
The formula is straightforward:
Capital Gains = Current Price - Price Bought At
Capital Gains Yield = Capital Gains / Price Bought At
For example, if you purchased a stock at $50 and it is now worth $65, your capital gains are $15 and your capital gains yield is 30%.
Enter the price you originally paid for the stock in the "Price Bought At" field.
Enter the current market price in the "Current Price" field.
The calculator will automatically compute your capital gains (in dollars) and capital gains yield (as a percentage).
You can also work backwards: enter any two known values and the calculator will solve for the remaining fields.
Portfolio evaluation: Compare the price performance of different holdings in your portfolio to see which investments have appreciated the most.
Investment screening: Evaluate historical capital gains yield when researching stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds.
Total return analysis: Combine capital gains yield with dividend yield to calculate the total return on an investment.
Tax planning: Estimate unrealized capital gains before selling to plan for potential tax obligations.
Capital gains yield only captures price changes. To get the full picture of investment performance, also account for dividends and other distributions.
A negative capital gains yield means the asset has decreased in value since purchase, representing an unrealized loss.
Remember that capital gains yield does not account for the holding period. Two investments with the same yield but different time frames have different annualized returns.
Capital gains yield measures the change in stock price as a percentage, while dividend yield measures the income received from dividends as a percentage of the stock price. Together, they make up the total stock return.
Yes. If the current price is lower than the purchase price, the capital gains yield will be negative, indicating a loss on the investment.