Total return

The combination of the change in price of an investment plus any income (or other distributions), it is expressed as a percentage gain or loss in the investment's value. For example, a utility stock that rose in price 5% over the past year and paid a dividend of 6% would have a total return of 11%. Also average annual total return - A hypothetical value based on the total change in price, plus yield or reinvested dividends, of a stock or bond from one point in time to another, broken down into one-year segments.