Capital Gains Yield Calculator
Calculate the percentage return from price appreciation (capital gains yield) and combine it with any dividend income to see your total investment return.
Price appreciation as a percentage of the original purchase price
35%
CGYOriginal cost
74%
Capital gain
25.9%
Dividends received
0.1%
- 1
Total investment cost
1,000 × 100 = 100,000 - 2
Capital gain
135,000 − 100,000 = 35,000 - 3
Capital Gains Yield
35,000 ÷ 100,000 × 100 = 35Price appreciation as a percentage of the original purchase price.
How does this calculator work?
Capital Gains Yield = (Current price − Purchase price) ÷ Purchase price × 100. It measures the price-appreciation component of your investment return. Add the dividend yield to get the total return. Enter purchase price, current price, number of shares, and any dividends received.
Formula
How this is calculated
Capital Gains Yield (CGY) measures how much an investment has appreciated in value relative to what you paid for it. It captures only the price-change component of return — the increase (or decrease) in the market price since purchase. The formula is straightforward: subtract the purchase price from the current price, divide by the purchase price, and multiply by 100 to express the result as a percentage. If you bought at £10 and the price is now £13.50, the CGY is 35%.
For multi-share positions, the calculator scales to your total holding: total investment, total current value, and total capital gain are all shown alongside the per-share figures. If you enter dividends received over the holding period, the tool also computes the dividend yield and the total return — the sum of capital appreciation and income as a single percentage of your original investment.
Note that CGY is a simple holding-period return, not an annualised figure. A 35% gain over five years is very different from 35% over one year. To compare investments held for different periods, you should annualise the return (use a compound annual growth rate — CAGR — calculator). Costs such as brokerage commissions and taxes on gains are not included here.
Frequently asked questions
Capital gains yield is the return from price appreciation — the percentage increase in the asset's market value. Dividend yield is the income return — dividends paid expressed as a percentage of the purchase price. Total return combines both. Growth stocks tend to have higher CGY; income stocks tend to have higher dividend yield.
Yes. If the current price is lower than your purchase price, the CGY is negative — this is a capital loss. The total return may still be positive if dividends more than offset the price decline.
No — this calculator shows pre-tax returns. The actual after-tax return depends on your country's capital gains tax rules, your income, and how long you held the asset. Use a dedicated CGT calculator (such as the UK CGT calculator) to estimate the tax impact.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Capital Gains Yield Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capital-gains-yield-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Capital Gains Yield Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capital-gains-yield-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Capital Gains Yield Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capital-gains-yield-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_capital_gains_yield_calculator, title = {Capital Gains Yield Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capital-gains-yield-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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