Calculate total holding period return from purchase price, sale price, and any dividends or income received.
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Investment Analysis
Holding Period Return (HPR) measures the total return earned on an investment over the entire holding period, combining capital gains with any income (dividends, interest, distributions) received.
HPR is the most basic total return metric. It captures both the price appreciation (or depreciation) and any cash income received during the holding period, expressed as a percentage of the initial investment.
Unlike annualised returns, HPR does not adjust for the length of the holding period. A 36% HPR over 3 years is different from a 36% HPR over 1 year.
All gains divided by initial cost.
HPR = (Sale Price − Purchase Price + Income) / Purchase Price × 100
Income includes all dividends, interest, and distributions received during the holding period.
Buy at 50, sell at 65, received 3 in dividends. HPR = (65 − 50 + 3) / 50 × 100 = 36%.
Does not annualise the return. Does not account for the timing of income payments or reinvestment. For multi-period comparison, convert to annualised return or use CAGR.
Frequently asked questions
If you reinvested dividends into more shares, the additional shares are reflected in the sale value. If you received dividends as cash, include them in the income field.
Annualised Return = (1 + HPR/100)^(1/years) − 1. For the example above: (1.36)^(1/3) − 1 = 10.8% annualised.
No. HPR is a pre-tax measure. To calculate after-tax return, subtract capital gains tax and tax on income from the numerator.
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