With so many stocks available in the stock market, it is essential to understand your average cost of investment to get a clear idea of your net returns. In simple terms, average returns are the mathematical average of all your returns generated over time.
Since no investor buys all the stocks in their portfolio in one go, finding out their average return can become complicated. Moreover, different investors often apply various strategies to invest in the stock market, with rapidly changing market scenarios. It can take a lot of work to keep a check on your portfolio’s average returns. This is where a stock average calculator can come in handy.
What is a Stock Average Calculator?
It is easy to enter the stock market and start investing. However, keeping track of your returns and investments can be equally confusing. A stock or share average calculator is a convenient tool that helps investors establish the cost basis for all the shares in their portfolio.
In other words, you can use this calculator to find the average price of the shares that you already hold or are considering buying. Hence, when you purchase the same shares at different price points, it becomes essential to find out the average price between the first purchase and all the subsequent purchases.
Understanding Stock Averages:
Before delving into the details of a stock average calculator, it is essential to comprehend what stock averages represent. Stock averages, such as the simple moving average or the exponential moving average, are statistical indicators used to gauge the average price of a stock over a specific period. They help investors identify trends, assess market sentiment, and make informed investment decisions.
How Does Stock Average Calculator Work?
A stock calculator applies basic maths to calculate your average returns. However, when too many stocks are involved, it can get confusing. Hence, to use the average share price calculator, you need to provide two essential pieces of information as input in your calculator:
- Share price: This is the first piece of information. It is the total price you have paid to purchase the stocks at one particular time. If you bought them multiple times, enter the total share price.
- No. of shares: This is the total number of shares you purchased at a specific price point. If you have made multiple purchases at different price points, enter the total number of shares you have bought.
Advantages of Using Share Average Calculator:
Following are some of the significant advantages of using a share market average calculator:
- An average calculator can help you monitor the overall health of your portfolio. When you compare your average price with the current market price, you can determine if your overall portfolio is in profit or loss.
- It can help you decide on your next course of action. Depending upon the result you see, you can decide if purchasing more quantities of the same share will be suitable or if it is now time to sell.
- If you are unable to determine a selling price for your stocks, a stock average price calculator can help you determine the same. Once you know your average cost, you can choose the percentage or amount of profit you want on your investments. You can set your selling price accordingly.
- If the shares start going in the opposite direction after you buy them, you can use the calculator to determine a price at which you should buy more shares to average out your costs at the current price.
The Importance of Stock Average Calculation:
Calculating stock averages provides investors with valuable information about their investments. Here are a few reasons why the stock average calculation is essential:
1. Tracking Investment Performance:
By calculating the average price at which you acquired a stock, you can compare it with the current market price to determine your investment’s profitability. This information enables you to evaluate the success of your investment strategy and make necessary adjustments.
2. Evaluating Market Entry and Exit Points:
Knowing the average price of a stock can help you determine the best time to enter or exit the market. By comparing the current price with your average purchase price, you can assess whether it is wise to hold onto the stock or sell it for potential gains.
3. Managing Risk:
Stock average calculation aids in risk management by allowing investors to set stop-loss orders and take-profit levels based on their average purchase price. This helps mitigate potential losses and secure profits at predetermined levels.
Formula to Calculate:
The stock average price calculator uses a fundamental formula to calculate the average price of stocks. It is as follows:
Stock average price = total cost / total shares
However, this is a basic formula and can be used to determine your average price per share for a single purchase. But, if you want to find the average price for your shares, the formula needs to be slightly tweaked in case you have made multiple purchases.
Stock average price = Total cost of all purchases / total number of shares purchased
Here:
- The total cost of all purchases is the aggregate cost of all the shares of a single company you bought ‘n’ number of times.
- The total number of shares is the aggregate number of shares you bought ‘n’ number of times.
Let’s take an example to understand better.
Suppose you bought 25 shares of Company Z for ₹1000 each on 1st April 2022, hoping that once the price increases, you will sell it and make profits. However, the price took a downtrend instead of rising upwards and is now trading at ₹ 800. In order to average out your cost, you bought ten more shares at ₹800. After two months, let’s assume you purchased 15 more shares at a price of ₹650.
The average stock price in this case shall be:
Total cost of all purchases = ₹25,000 + ₹8,000 + ₹9750 = ₹42,750
Total number of shares purchased = 25 + 10 + 15 = 50
In this case, your average price comes down to:
Stock average price = ₹42,750 / 50 = ₹855
How to Use the Share Average Calculator?
It is easy to use a stock average price calculator. Just by following these steps, you can find out the average price for your stocks:
- Step 1: Enter the number of shares you own for a specific stock. If you have shares of a different company, do not mix it.
- Step 2: Enter the price at which you bought the shares. If you purchased them at different times, enter the total amount you spent on buying the shares.
- Step 3: Hit the calculate button to show you the average price per share.
- Step 4: You can now compare the resulting average with the current market price to see if your average purchase cost is higher or lower.
Conclusion:
Using an average stock calculator can make keeping track of your investments quite simple. It is an efficient tool to help find your average cost of acquisition for shares within a matter of minutes. With the use of these calculators, you can make informed decisions about your investment strategies & decide to purchase or sell shares accordingly. Additionally, if you want to find out the average cost of acquisition for different stocks from various companies, you can use the calculator multiple times.
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