total shareholder return
The total return to shareholders combining share price appreciation and dividends received, the most comprehensive measure of investment performance.
Example
“The stock's total shareholder return of 15% included 10% price appreciation plus a 5% dividend yield.”
Memory Tip
TSR = price gain + dividends. The TOTAL picture of what shareholders actually earned.
Why It Matters
Total shareholder return is the most complete way to evaluate how well an investment has actually performed for you. Many investors focus only on stock price changes and ignore dividends, which can significantly underestimate or overestimate their true returns over time.
Common Misconception
People often think that total shareholder return only measures stock price appreciation, forgetting that dividends paid out are a major component of actual returns. This causes investors to unfairly compare stocks that pay dividends with those that do not.
In Practice
If you buy a stock at 100 dollars per share and it rises to 120 dollars while paying 5 dollars in dividends per share over that period, your total shareholder return is 25 percent. This is much better than the 20 percent you would calculate if you only looked at the price increase from 100 to 120 dollars.
Etymology
TOTAL (complete, all-inclusive) SHAREHOLDER (equity owner) RETURN. The TOTAL RETURN to SHAREHOLDERS.
Common Misspellings
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See Also
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