Expected Return (2024)

Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding Expected Return in Corporate Finance

Last Updated March 5, 2024

What is Expected Return?

TheExpected Return measures the anticipated return on an investment or portfolio of securities, expressed in the form of a percentage.

Expected Return (1)

Table of Contents

  • How to Calculate Expected Return
  • Expected Return Formula
  • Expected Return Calculator
  • Portfolio Expected Return Calculation Example

How to Calculate Expected Return

By measuring the expected return on a probability-weighted basis, investors can estimate the return from an investment or portfolio of securities.

In corporate finance, the expected return of a portfolio signifies the anticipated yield that could potentially be generated over a pre-defined time frame.

Understanding the expected risk-adjusted return on a portfolio contributes to more informed investment decisions, where the risk-return profile of the investment can be structured to more closely align with the investor’s risk appetite and target yield.

The expected return is a critical component to constructing a portfolio that can generate the target return while mitigating risk to a manageable level.

The expected return is calculated by multiplying the probability of each possible return scenario by its corresponding value and then adding up the products.

The expected return metric – often denoted as “E(R)” – considers the potential return on an individual security or portfolio and the likelihood of each outcome.

However, the implied return is not merely a simple average but rather a range of potential outcomes, which facilitates a more comprehensive assessment of the risk-reward profile of the investment portfolio.

The incorporation of probability weights in analyzing potential returns improves the depth of the decision-making process for investors, especially with regard to understanding the potential upside and downside of an investment portfolio, akin to performing scenario analysis.

Expected Return Formula

The formula to calculate the expected return on an individual security, or “cost of equity”, is determined using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which adds the product of beta (β) and the equity risk premium (ERP) to the risk-free rate (rf).

Expected Return, E(R) =Risk-Free Rate (rf)+Beta (β)×Equity Risk Premium (ERP)

Where:

  • Risk-Free Rate (rf) → The risk-free rate is the yield on the debt issuances by the government, e.g. the 10-year Treasury note for U.S.-based public companies.
  • Beta (β) → Beta is the measure of systematic risk, i.e. the volatility of a security to the broader market, which represents non-diversifiable risk.
  • Equity Risk Premium (ERP) → The equity risk premium, or “market risk premium” is the extra, incremental return expected from investors for investing in the stock market rather than risk-free securities.

The risk-free rate and beta are readily observable via Bloomberg and related online sources, and the equity risk premium (ERP) is computed as the difference between the expected market return and the risk-free rate.

Equity Risk Premium (ERP) =Market Return (rm)Risk-Free Rate (rf)

Further, the formula to calculate the expected return on a portfolio requires weighting each potential outcome by its probability and then adding together these weighted returns.

Portfolio Expected Return E(R) = Σ r(i) × p(i)

Where:

  • Σ → Summation Notation
  • p(i) → Probability of Outcome
  • r(i) → Return in Outcome

Expected Return Calculator

We’ll now move to a modeling exercise, which you can access by filling out the form below.

The Wharton Online
& Wall Street Prep
Buy-Side Investing Certificate Program

Fast track your career as a hedge fund or equity research professional. Enrollment is open for the Sep. 9 - Nov. 10 cohort.

Enroll Today

Portfolio Expected Return Calculation Example

Suppose we’re tasked with estimated the expected return on a portfolio of equity securities under three different scenarios (“Recession”, “Normal”, and “Boom”).

The probability weight and the expected rate of return in each scenario is as follows.

State of EconomyProbability Weight (%)Portfolio Return (%)
Recession
  • 5.0%
  • (5.0%)
Normal
  • 80.0%
  • 10.0%
Boom
  • 15.0%
  • 16.0%

Since the expected return equals the sum of the product of the return in each potential outcome, we can use the “SUMPRODUCT” function in Excel to calculate the expected return.

=SUMPRODUCT(F5:F7,I5:I7)

Expected Return (5)

The first array is the probability weight (i.e. the likelihood of occurrence), whereas the second array is the expected return in the coinciding scenario.

The implied expected return on the portfolio comes out to be 10.2%, which reflects the probability-weighted return expected by the investor.

  • Expected Return, E(R) = 10.2%

Expected Return (6)

Comments

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Expected Return (2024)

FAQs

What is the expected return solution? ›

The basic expected return formula involves multiplying each asset's weight in the portfolio by its expected return, then adding all those figures together. In other words, a portfolio's expected return is the weighted average of its individual components' returns.

How do you calculate the expected return? ›

The expected return is calculated by multiplying the probability of each possible return scenario by its corresponding value and then adding up the products. The expected return metric – often denoted as “E(R)” – considers the potential return on an individual security or portfolio and the likelihood of each outcome.

How do you interpret expected return? ›

Key Takeaways

The expected return is the amount of profit or loss an investor can anticipate receiving on an investment. An expected return is calculated by multiplying potential outcomes by the odds of them occurring and then totaling these results.

Is a 7% return realistic? ›

Even the 10% estimate doesn't include inflation, which has averaged about 3% a year, further reducing the historical return closer to 7%. Tack on things like fees and taxes, and even 7% is probably a relatively high long-term return assumption for a portfolio, especially based on market forecasts today.

What is a good expected return? ›

• A good return on investment is generally considered to be around 7% per year, based on the average historic return of the S&P 500 index, adjusted for inflation. • The average return of the U.S. stock market is around 10% per year, adjusted for inflation, dating back to the late 1920s.

Why do we calculate expected return? ›

Expected return is an important financial concept investors use when determining where to invest their funds. Calculating the expected return of a specific investment or portfolio allows you to anticipate the profit or loss on that investment based on its historical performance.

How to calculate expected value? ›

In statistics and probability analysis, the EV is calculated by multiplying each of the possible outcomes by the likelihood that each outcome will occur and then summing all of those values.

How do I calculate a return? ›

A simple rate of return is calculated by subtracting the initial value of the investment from its current value, and then dividing it by the initial value. To report it as a %, the result is multiplied by 100.

What is the expected return calculator? ›

The Expected Return Calculator calculates the Expected Return, Variance, Standard Deviation, Covariance, and Correlation Coefficient for a probability distribution of asset returns.

What is the expected return summary? ›

The expected return means the profit or loss anticipated by an investor on an investment that has known or expected return rates. This can be calculated by multiplying potential outcomes by the likelihood that they will occur and then adding up the results.

How do you choose expected return? ›

To calculate expected rate of return, you multiply the expected rate of return for each asset by that asset's weight as part of the portfolio. You then add each of those results together. Written as a formula, we get: Expected Rate of Return (ERR) = R1 x W1 + R2 x W2 …

Is 5% return enough? ›

A lower risk 5% return may look good, but it's also guaranteed to lose real money if inflation stays higher. The problem with fixed income investments is that they don't work very well for a rising cost of retirement”.

How much is $100 a month invested from 25 to 65? ›

$1,176,000. You do NOT have to retire broke.

Is 10 a good return? ›

General ROI: A positive ROI is generally considered good, with a normal ROI of 5-7% often seen as a reasonable expectation. However, a strong general ROI is something greater than 10%. Return on Stocks: On average, a ROI of 7% after inflation is often considered good, based on the historical returns of the market.

What is the expected market return in CAPM? ›

Expected return = Risk Free Rate + [Beta x Market Return Premium] Expected return = 2.5% + [1.25 x 7.5%] Expected return = 11.9%

What is the formula for the expected return of a security? ›

To calculate the expected rate of return on a stock or other security, you need to think about the different scenarios in which the asset could see a gain or loss. For each scenario, multiply that amount of gain or loss (return) by its probability. Finally, add up the numbers you get from each scenario.

What is the expected return model? ›

Expected return models are widely used in Finance research. In the context of event studies, expected return models predict hypothetical returns that are then deducted from the actual stock returns to arrive at 'abnormal returns'.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duncan Muller

Last Updated:

Views: 6619

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duncan Muller

Birthday: 1997-01-13

Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

Phone: +8555305800947

Job: Construction Agent

Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.