Stock Return % YTD, 1 YR Etc Inaccurate

Jessiemeister

Running latest subscription version of Quicken Windows. No matter what I try the Return % values showing for stock security are inaccurate (too low) for YTD %, 1 YR %, etc. The mutual fund returns appear to be accurate. Anyone have any advice?

Jim_Harman

On a sample of one stock, it appears you are correct.

Remember the Return (%) data is downloaded from Quicken's quote provider, not calculated based on your holdings.

q_lurker

Return% YTD is a value downloaded from the data suppliers.  (Reference Q help glossary).  I believe that applies (QW2017) to the other time frames as well, though it is not so stated.  If I change today's price I do not see the any Return% values changing.  I do see Average Annual Return figures change as today's price changes.

I think there has been a glitch in the system with respect to Return% values.. 

• I am not seeing any 3-yr or 5-yr Return % values for any stocks; only for mutual funds.  
• The values I am seeing for mutual funds appear to be more likely to be annualized values (comparable to the Average Annual Return values) rather than cumulative as they had been and are supposed to be.  
• The values for stocks for 1-yr and YTD Return % may be running low.  For example, for LMT, my YTD and 1-yr Average Annual Return values are 57.8% and 24.6% as compared to Return% values of 45.0% and 18.8%.  The annualized 57.8% is comparable to the non-annualized 45%.  It is the 18.8% that seems low compared to the 24.6% value.  A more extreme discrepancy is MHK, show 1-yr values of +20.93% AAR vs -15.02% Return.

Jessiemeister

Thanks. .. kind of disappointing that Quicken can't provide accurate return data on such a simple item as a stock quote.. ..appreciate the feedback.

q_lurker

An ongoing problem would be disappointing.  A short term glitch is something to deal with.  __it happens.  I don't know which this is.  I don't know when it started.  I don't know what the scope of the issue is.  Yours is the first post I have noticed identifying an issue.      

Gary R

My Quicken 2019 Premier is up to date. Apple YTD returns has been stuck at 55% for the past month. Looks like no fix --called tech support and sent info to Quicken--still no fix

Dennis Goldstein

I have this inaccuracy problem with the Return (%) YTD in my portfolio view also. For example, I have a stock that was priced at about $58 on 1/1/19. It closed the year at about $64 and paid a dividend of about 2.8%, based on the $58 value. The ROI (%) YTD as of 12/31/19 shows about 19%, but the Return (%) YTD shows about -3.9%. something is definitely wrong here.

Jim_Harman

Return (%) YTD is downloaded from Quicken's quote provider and is not affected by the As of date. So that figure would reflect 2020 performance, not 2019. From the Help:

What do I need to know about key investment performance calculations used in Quicken?

...

•   Return

  Return represents the total return of a security: the current market value, plus the income taken out as cash, plus cash received from sales of shares, minus the amount invested.

  Reinvestments are not explicitly added to the return, because they contribute to the market value, which is already factored in.

  Note that Return (%) YTD is based on downloaded data and is not affected by changes in the As of date option.

  •   Example

    Let's say you bought 100 shares for $5 each ($500 total). You later sold 50 shares for $6 each ($300 total). Now the market price of your 50 remaining shares is $7 ($350 total).

    The return is $350 (current market value), plus $300 (sales), minus the $500 you invested, for a total return of $150.

• 
  

Dennis Goldstein

This doesn't make a lot of sense. I changed the portfolio to today's date. No dividend has yet been paid by that company this year. The Return (%) YTD is -3.96% and the ROI (%) YTD is -5,96% as the stock is down since 1/1/20. But, shouldn't they be the same?

Most importantly, When I go back to 12/31/19, the Return (%) YTD is the same around -3.96%. So, of what use is the Return (%) YTD?

Jim_Harman

I'm not sure when the Return (%) YTD is updated. There were reports last year that it was way out of date, by weeks perhaps.  

If there have been no distributions and you have no transactions YTD, the ROI(%) YTD should be the percentage change in share price since the 12/31/19 closing price. Use the share prices in Quicken's price history for the calculation.

Dennis Goldstein

I think I will eliminate the Return (%) YTD from my Portfolio View. It can only lead to more confusion and to error.
Thanks for your assistance.

Tealeaf3

All this is old news and is why I have always maintained separate Excel Spreadsheets on my Investments. A lot of work, but Quicken misses the mark on so many fronts and is just a useful tool for daily tracking and Income/Expenses. Other softwares require also a more cumbersome input process, so nothing is perfect. having said hat, maybe one should google to see what else is Now available, GLTA