Tracking stocks in Excel should not require reopening several financial websites and manually replacing every price whenever you want to check your investments.

Our free Excel stock tracker template gives you a simple way to monitor individual holdings in one spreadsheet. Enter the stock ticker, the amount you invested, and your average purchase price. The template can then pull the company name and current stock price, calculate the estimated current value of the position, and show your percentage return.

With Wisesheets connected, you can refresh the stock data inside Excel without rebuilding the tracker or copying prices manually.

Download the Free Excel Stock Tracker Template

Use the template to:

• Track individual stocks in Excel
• Pull company names from ticker symbols
• Monitor current stock prices
• Record how much you invested in each position
• Enter your average purchase price
• Calculate the estimated current value of each holding
• Monitor percentage returns
• View the total amount invested and current value
• Refresh stock data using Wisesheets
• Add your own columns as your tracking needs grow

Download the Free Excel Stock Tracker Template

Download the Template as an Excel File

The template will initially open in Google Sheets. To use it in Microsoft Excel:

1. Open the File menu in Google Sheets.
2. Select Download.
3. Choose Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
4. Open the downloaded file in Excel.

Avoid editing the original Google Sheets template directly. Download your own Excel copy first, then replace the example stocks with your holdings.

The spreadsheet itself is free to download and customize. To pull and refresh live stock data through the formulas included in the template, you will also need a Wisesheets account and the Wisesheets Excel add-in.

What Is an Excel Stock Tracker Template?

An Excel stock tracker template is a spreadsheet designed to help you monitor individual stocks and investment positions.

Keeping purchase information in one file, checking current prices on another website, and attempting to remember whether you bought a stock at $140 or merely thought about buying it at $140 can be replaced by keeping the main figures together.

This Excel stock tracking template records:

• The stock ticker
• The company name
• The current stock price
• The amount invested
• The average purchase price
• The percentage return
• The estimated current value of the investment

The template focuses on individual stock holdings. It helps you see how much you invested in each stock, what the position may be worth now, and how the current price compares with your average purchase price.

It does not attempt to be a complete portfolio-management, dividend-tracking, trade-journaling, or tax-reporting system. You can add those elements later if you need them.

What the Stock Tracker Includes

The downloadable tracker contains seven main columns.

Tracker column	What it tracks
Ticker	The stock symbol used to identify the company
Name	The company name associated with the ticker
Price	The latest available stock price pulled into Excel
Bought	The total amount invested in the position
Avg Cost	The average price paid per share
Returns	The percentage gain or loss based on the current price and average cost
Current	The estimated current value of the investment

The tracker also provides totals at the bottom, allowing you to compare the total amount invested with the estimated current value of all the positions entered.

How the Excel Stock Tracker Works

The spreadsheet combines information you enter manually with stock data pulled through Wisesheets.

You enter:

• The ticker symbol
• The amount invested
• The average purchase price

The tracker retrieves or calculates:

• The company name
• The current stock price
• The percentage return
• The estimated current value

For example, suppose you enter:

Field	Example
Ticker	AAPL
Bought	$5,000
Average cost	$140
Current price	$175

The tracker can use these figures to estimate how many shares the original investment represents:

$5,000 / $140 = 35.71 shares

It can then estimate the current position value:

35.71 × $175 = $6,250

The resulting percentage return is:

($6,250 − $5,000) / $5,000 = 25%

You do not have to enter the number of shares in a separate column because the tracker can derive the approximate share quantity from the amount invested and the average cost.

How to Use the Excel Stock Tracker Template

Step 1: Download and open the template

Download the Excel stock tracker and open it in Microsoft Excel.

Download the Free Excel Stock Tracker Template

If Excel opens the file in Protected View, select the option to enable editing before changing the sample data.

Step 2: Create or sign in to your Wisesheets account

The workbook uses Wisesheets formulas to retrieve stock information. Create a Wisesheets account, install the Excel add-in, and sign in through the add-in before expecting the company-name and price columns to populate.

If the tracker shows #NAME?, Excel is not recognizing one or more Wisesheets formulas. This usually means the add-in has not been installed, activated, or signed in correctly.

Step 3: Enter the stock ticker

Enter the ticker symbol for each stock you want to track in the Ticker column.

For example:

• AAPL for Apple
• MSFT for Microsoft
• AMZN for Amazon
• PEP for PepsiCo
• DIS for Disney
• META for Meta Platforms
• NVDA for NVIDIA

Use the correct ticker rather than typing only the company name. Ticker symbols allow the spreadsheet formula to identify the intended security.

For securities listed outside the United States, you may need to use the ticker format supported by the data source.

Step 4: Enter the amount invested

In the Bought column, enter the total amount invested in that stock.

For example, enter $5,000 if you invested a total of $5,000 in the position.

This column does not represent the number of shares purchased. It represents the total cost of the investment.

Step 5: Enter your average cost

In the Avg Cost column, enter the average price paid per share.

If you bought a stock only once, this will generally be the purchase price.

If you bought it several times at different prices, calculate the weighted average purchase cost.

For example, suppose you bought:

• 10 shares at $100
• 20 shares at $130

Your total cost would be:

(10 × $100) + (20 × $130) = $3,600

You would own 30 shares, so the average cost would be:

$3,600 / 30 = $120

Enter $120 in the Avg Cost column.

Using only your latest purchase price would distort the return calculation.

Step 6: Let the spreadsheet calculate the result

Once the ticker, invested amount, and average cost are available, the tracker can calculate the estimated current value and percentage return.

When the current price changes, the Returns and Current columns should update accordingly after the stock data is refreshed.

Excel Stock Tracker Formulas and Calculation Examples

The template performs several calculations behind the visible output.

The precise cell references may vary depending on the workbook layout, but the calculation logic works as follows.

Estimated number of shares

Because the template records the amount invested rather than asking for a separate share quantity, it can estimate the number of shares using:

Calculation:

Amount Invested / Average Cost

Excel example:

=D2/E2

If the amount invested is $5,000 and the average cost is $140:

$5,000 / $140 = 35.71 shares

This estimate assumes that the amount entered in the Bought column corresponds to the position represented by the average cost.

Current position value

The estimated current value is calculated by multiplying the implied number of shares by the current price.

Calculation:

(Amount Invested / Average Cost) × Current Price

Excel example:

=(D2/E2)*C2

If you invested $5,000 at an average cost of $140 and the current price is $175:

($5,000 / $140) × $175 = $6,250

The Current column would therefore show approximately $6,250.

Percentage return

The percentage return compares the current position value with the original amount invested.

Calculation:

(Current Value − Amount Invested) / Amount Invested

Excel example:

=(G2-D2)/D2

Using the same figures:

($6,250 – $5,000) / $5,000 = 25%

You can also calculate the return by comparing the current stock price with the average cost:

=(C2-E2)/E2

Both methods produce the same percentage when the position data is consistent.

For more examples of calculating increases and decreases, see our guide to the percentage change formula in Excel.

To prevent Excel from showing an error when the required cells are empty, you can optionally wrap the formula in IFERROR:

=IFERROR((G2-D2)/D2,0)

Total amount invested

At the bottom of the Bought column, Excel can add together all the amounts entered.

Excel example:

=SUM(D2:D11)

If you entered ten positions of $5,000 each, the total amount invested would be $50,000.

Total current value

The values in the Current column can also be added together.

Excel example:

=SUM(G2:G11)

This gives you the estimated current value of all the stock positions included in the tracker.

Overall return

To calculate the overall percentage return:

Calculation:

(Total Current Value – Total Invested) / Total Invested

Excel example:

=IFERROR((G17-D17)/D17,0)

Use the actual total cells from your version of the spreadsheet.

For a fuller breakdown of returns, income, and price changes, see how to calculate total return in Excel.

Overall return

The overall return compares the combined current value of all positions with the total amount invested.

Calculation:

(Total Current Value – Total Invested) / Total Invested

Excel example:

=(G17-D17)/D17

Use the actual total cells from your version of the spreadsheet.

For example, if the total amount invested is $50,000 and the combined current value is $57,500:

($57,500 − $50,000) / $50,000 = 15%

You can optionally use IFERROR to prevent Excel from displaying an error when the total-invested cell is blank or zero:

=IFERROR((G17-D17)/D17,0)

Calculation summary

Goal	Calculation
Estimated shares	Amount Invested / Average Cost
Current value	(Amount Invested / Average Cost) × Current Price
Return percentage	(Current Value – Amount Invested) / Amount Invested
Alternative return calculation	(Current Price – Average Cost) / Average Cost
Total invested	Sum of the Bought column
Total current value	Sum of the Current column
Overall return	(Total Current – Total Invested) / Total Invested
Live stock price with Wisesheets	=WISEPRICE("AAPL","Price")

How to Track Live Stock Prices in Excel

The main inconvenience with a manually maintained stock tracker is the current-price column.

You could visit a financial website, find every stock, copy the latest price, paste it into Excel, and repeat the process whenever you want updated figures. This technically works, in the same way that washing clothes one sock at a time technically works.

A stock-data formula makes the process more manageable. With Wisesheets, you can pull a current stock price into Excel using the WISEPRICE function.

For example:

=WISEPRICE("AAPL","Price")

You can also reference the cell containing the ticker symbol:

=WISEPRICE(A2,"Price")

Using a cell reference is more practical inside a tracker. After entering the formula for the first row, you can copy or drag it down the column. Each row then retrieves the price associated with its own ticker.

When the stock prices refresh, Excel recalculates the corresponding return percentages and current position values.

For a more detailed walkthrough, see our guide on how to get live stock prices in Excel.

Can Excel retrieve the company name too?

Yes. The template includes a Name column intended to return the company associated with each ticker.

The workbook already contains the relevant formula. Once the Wisesheets add-in is installed and functioning, the company name should populate beside the ticker.

If the Name column displays #NAME?, do not type over the formula immediately. First check whether:

• The Wisesheets Excel add-in has been installed
• You are signed in to your Wisesheets account
• Excel has enabled the add-in
• The ticker is valid
• The workbook formulas have been preserved
• The data has been refreshed

Typing a company name manually may remove the formula from that row.

Can Excel track stock prices without Wisesheets?

Excel also provides a built-in Stocks data type for supported Microsoft 365 accounts and versions.

You can enter a ticker or company name, convert the cell to the Stocks data type, and retrieve available fields such as price.

This may be sufficient for a basic tracker. Wisesheets is designed specifically for pulling investment and financial information into spreadsheet formulas, making it useful when you want to expand the tracker with additional stock data later.

For historical prices rather than current quotes, see how to use the STOCKHISTORY function in Excel.

Once the Wisesheets formulas have been connected to the ticker cells, you can refresh the workbook without manually replacing every stock price.

A typical workflow looks like this:

1. Open the stock tracker in Excel.
2. Confirm that the Wisesheets add-in is installed.
3. Sign in to your Wisesheets account.
4. Enter or update the ticker symbols.
5. Open the Wisesheets menu or add-in.
6. Select the option to refresh the data.
7. Review the updated prices, returns, and current values.

The return and current-value formulas depend on the stock-price data. If the Price cells are blank or showing an error, the corresponding returns may appear as -100%, and current values may appear as $0.00.

That does not necessarily mean every investment has somehow achieved financial extinction at exactly the same time. Usually, it is an indication that the stock-data formulas have not loaded successfully.

Why Is the Template Showing #NAME?

The #NAME? Excel error means that Excel does not recognize something in the formula.

In this template, the most likely reason is that Excel does not currently recognize the Wisesheets function.

Check the following:

Install the Wisesheets Excel add-in

The template formulas require the relevant add-in. Download and install it before attempting to refresh the workbook.

Sign in to Wisesheets

Open the add-in and sign in using the Wisesheets account connected to your subscription or free access.

Enable editing and add-ins

Files downloaded from the internet may open in Protected View. Enable editing and confirm that Excel has not disabled the add-in.

Check the ticker symbols

An outdated or incorrect ticker may fail to return the expected information. For example, Meta Platforms now trades under META, not its former FB ticker.

Preserve the existing formulas

Avoid deleting formulas from the Name or Price columns while replacing the sample data. Change the ticker, amount bought, and average cost instead.

Refresh the data

After signing in and confirming the formulas, use the Wisesheets refresh option to retrieve the stock information again.

How to Track Holdings and Investment Returns

Each completed row represents one stock position.

The most important figures are:

• Bought: How much money was originally invested
• Avg Cost: The average price paid per share
• Price: The latest stock price available in the tracker
• Returns: The percentage change from the average cost
• Current: The estimated present value of the investment

These columns answer three practical questions:

1. How much did I invest?
2. How has the stock price moved relative to my average cost?
3. What is the position approximately worth now?

Positive and negative returns

A positive percentage in the Returns column means the current stock price is above the average cost.

A negative percentage means the current stock price is below the average cost.

The figure is generally an unrealized return while you still own the shares, and becomes a realized gain or loss only after the relevant position is sold.

Use conditional formatting

You can apply Excel conditional formatting to make the Returns column easier to scan.

For example:

• Highlight positive percentages with one format
• Highlight negative percentages with another
• Add data bars or icons to show the relative size of each return

Do not rely only on color. Keep the positive and negative values visible so the table remains understandable and accessible.

How to Add More Stocks to the Tracker

The template contains a set number of prepared rows, but you can extend it.

To add more positions:

1. Insert or copy a completed row.
2. Preserve the formulas in the Name, Price, Returns, and Current columns.
3. Replace the example ticker with the new stock symbol.
4. Enter the amount invested.
5. Enter the average cost.
6. Confirm that the total formulas include the additional row.
7. Refresh the stock data.

When copying rows, check that the formulas reference the cells in the new row instead of still pointing to the previous position.

Also update the total ranges at the bottom if the newly added rows fall outside the original formula range.

How to Customize the Stock Tracking Excel Sheet

The existing template is intentionally simple. You can add columns or worksheets based on the way you invest.

Add a shares column

The current template estimates share quantity from the amount bought and average cost.

You can add a visible Shares column if you would rather record the exact number of shares directly.

This may be useful when:

• Your broker allows fractional shares
• Transaction fees affect the amount invested
• You have sold only part of a position
• The current share quantity no longer matches the original purchase amount

With a Shares column, current value can be calculated as:

= Shares * Current Price

Add purchase dates

A purchase-date column can help you see how long each position has been held.

For multiple purchases, consider creating a separate trade log rather than trying to place several dates inside one cell.

Add a stock watchlist

The downloadable template does not include a dedicated watchlist, but you can create one on a separate worksheet.

Useful watchlist columns include:

Watchlist Column	Purpose
Ticker	Identifies the stock
Company	Displays the company name
Current price	Shows the latest available price
Target price	Records the price you would consider
Status	Researching, waiting, considering, or avoiding
Notes	Records the investment thesis or concern

Keep the watchlist separate from your current holdings so that its stocks do not affect the totals in the main tracker.

Add a trade log

The template shows the current position but does not record every purchase and sale.

For transaction-level tracking, add a separate worksheet containing:

• Date
• Ticker
• Buy or sell
• Shares
• Transaction price
• Fees
• Total amount
• Notes

A trade log is especially handy when you purchase the same stock several times because it gives you the information needed to calculate an accurate weighted average cost.

Add dividend information

Dividend data is not included in the standard template.

Dividend investors may want to add:

• Dividend yield
• Annual dividend per share
• Expected annual income
• Payment frequency
• Ex-dividend date
• Most recent payment date

To estimate annual dividend income:

Shares × Annual Dividend per Share

For deeper dividend tracking, use a dedicated dividend spreadsheet instead of forcing the basic stock tracker to become a complete income-management system.

For a ready-made income-tracking setup, download our dividend tracker spreadsheet for Google Sheets and Excel.

Add investment notes

A simple Notes column can record:

• Why you bought the stock
• What would make you sell
• The main business risk
• Your target price
• The next earnings date
• Whether the original investment thesis remains valid

The spreadsheet can track prices automatically. Remembering why you bought the stock remains regrettably manual.

Stock Tracker vs. Portfolio Tracker

A stock tracker and a portfolio tracker are related, but they answer different questions.

Use this	If you want to
Excel stock tracker template	Monitor individual holdings, current prices, invested amounts, average costs, returns, and current values
Investment portfolio spreadsheet	Analyze complete portfolio allocation, diversification, asset classes, income, and total strategy performance

This stock tracker operates mainly at the position level.

It helps answer:

How is each individual stock performing relative to what I paid?

A full portfolio tracker operates at the portfolio level.

It helps answer:

How are all my investments allocated, and how are they performing together?

The downloadable workbook does show the combined amount invested and current value. However, it does not provide a detailed portfolio-allocation breakdown by sector, asset type, account, geography, or strategy.

Use a dedicated portfolio spreadsheet when those broader questions become important.

For a broader view of allocation and combined performance, see our portfolio tracker Excel guide.

Common Excel Stock Tracking Mistakes

Entering the number of shares in the Bought column

The Bought column represents the total amount invested, not the number of shares. Entering 20 because you own 20 shares would tell the workbook that you invested only $20.

Using the latest purchase price as the average cost

If you bought the same stock more than once, use the weighted average cost of the shares still held.

Leaving outdated ticker symbols in the tracker

Company tickers can change. Replace old symbols with their current versions when necessary. For example, FB should be updated to META.

Deleting the formula columns

The Name, Price, Returns, and Current columns may contain formulas. Typing over them can prevent the tracker from updating correctly.

Treating a data error as an investment loss

If all the returns suddenly display -100% and all current values show zero, check the Price column before calling your financial adviser or moving into the wilderness.

Blank prices usually indicate that the stock-data formulas did not load.

Forgetting to expand the total ranges

When adding more stock rows, confirm that the formulas at the bottom include them.

Using unadjusted historical purchase prices

Stock splits can make old price examples misleading. Use split-adjusted figures when entering an average cost, or verify that the share quantity and average cost reflect the same basis.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an Excel stock tracker template?

An Excel stock tracker template is a prebuilt spreadsheet used to monitor individual stock positions. This template records the ticker, company name, current price, amount invested, average cost, percentage return, and estimated current value.

Is the Excel stock tracker template free?

Yes, the spreadsheet is free to download and customize. Using and refreshing the Wisesheets formulas included in the workbook requires a Wisesheets account and access to the Excel add-in.

How do I track stocks in Excel?

Enter the ticker symbol, total amount invested, and average purchase price. The tracker can then retrieve the company name and current price and calculate the percentage return and estimated current value.

Can Excel track live stock prices?

Yes, you can retrieve updated stock prices through a financial-data add-in such as Wisesheets or through Excel’s built-in Stocks data type where supported.

With Wisesheets, a price formula may look like:

=WISEPRICE("AAPL","Price")

You can also reference the ticker cell instead of entering the ticker directly inside the formula.

What does the Bought column mean?

The Bought column represents the total amount originally invested in the stock position. It does not represent the number of shares.

How does the spreadsheet calculate the current value?

The tracker can divide the amount invested by the average cost to estimate the number of shares. It then multiplies that figure by the current stock price.

The calculation is:

(Amount Invested / Average Cost) × Current Price

How does it calculate the return?

The return compares the current stock price with the average purchase cost.

It may be calculated as:

(Current Price – Average Cost) / Average Cost

The result is formatted as a percentage.

Why does the tracker show #NAME?

The #NAME? error means Excel does not recognize part of the formula.

In this template, that will commonly happen when the Wisesheets Excel add-in is not installed, enabled, or signed in. Install the add-in, sign in, preserve the workbook formulas, and refresh the data.

Why does the tracker show a -100% return?

A -100% return may appear when the current-price cell is blank or returning zero. Check whether the Price column has loaded correctly before assuming the return is valid.

Can I enter the exact number of shares?

The standard template does not include a dedicated Shares column. It estimates the quantity using the amount bought and average cost. You can customize the spreadsheet by adding a Shares column if you prefer to enter the exact quantity.

Can I build a watchlist with this template?

The standard workbook does not include a dedicated watchlist. You can add one on a separate worksheet with fields such as ticker, current price, target price, research status, and notes.

Can I track dividends in the template?

Dividend tracking is not included in the standard download. You can add columns for dividend yield, dividend per share, payment dates, and estimated annual income, or use a dedicated dividend tracker for a more detailed workflow.

Can I record individual stock trades?

The template tracks the current position rather than each transaction. Add a separate trade-log worksheet if you want to record individual purchases, sales, dates, quantities, prices, and fees.

Can I use the stock tracker in Google Sheets?

The workbook is designed for Excel. You may be able to import its basic structure into Google Sheets, but Excel-specific formulas, formatting, or add-in functionality may need to be rebuilt or adjusted. Wisesheets also supports stock-data workflows in Google Sheets, but you should use the appropriate formulas and setup for that platform.

How is this different from a portfolio tracker?

This stock tracker focuses on individual positions and their returns. A full portfolio tracker typically goes further by analyzing asset allocation, diversification, total portfolio performance, dividend income, and strategy mix.

Do I need Wisesheets to use the template?

You can still use the spreadsheet structure and enter information manually without Wisesheets. However, you need Wisesheets to use and refresh the Wisesheets formulas included for company names, prices, and other connected stock data.

Final Word: Start Tracking Your Stocks in Excel

A useful stock tracker does not need dozens of dashboards or enough columns to qualify as municipal infrastructure.

It needs to show:

• Which stocks you own
• How much you invested
• The average price you paid
• The current stock price
• The estimated value of each position
• Whether each investment is currently up or down

The free Excel stock tracker template provides that foundation.

Download the workbook, replace the example positions with your own, connect Wisesheets to retrieve the stock data, and customize the sheet as your tracking process becomes more detailed.

Download the Free Excel Stock Tracker Template