Stock Detail Simulator Guide

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The Stock Detail page is where you zoom in on a single ticker and see how its dividends can compound over time. You can choose any supported stock or ETF, adjust its payout numbers, and run a full DRIP (dividend reinvestment) simulation in just a few clicks.

This guide walks through each part of the page — from the ticker dropdown and info panel to the simulation inputs, results, and charts — so you know exactly what you’re looking at when planning monthly dividend income.

Full Stock Detail page in DividendSim showing ticker, inputs, results, and charts — The Stock Detail view lets you test a single dividend stock and see how DRIP and contributions change your income.

1. Choose a Ticker from the Dropdown

At the very top of the page you’ll see the Ticker dropdown. This is where you select the stock or ETF you want to simulate.

Ticker selection dropdown showing monthly dividend stocks and custom entries — Type to search for a symbol, or scroll through the list of supported dividend stocks and ETFs.

Search by symbol – Start typing (for example AGNC, ADC) and the list filters instantly.
Use built-in listings – Popular monthly dividend stocks and ETFs are preloaded with price and payout data.
Unlisted (custom) – Any symbols you’ve created on the Custom Stock page appear under the “Unlisted (custom)” header.

Once you pick a ticker, the Stock Detail page loads its latest saved data and updates the panel and simulation inputs automatically.

2. Read the Stock Information Panel

Under the dropdown you’ll see the main stock header with the company name and key dividend stats. This is your quick snapshot of how the stock currently pays.

Stock information header showing price, monthly dividend, sector, annual dividend per share and yield — The info bar summarizes the stock’s price, payout, sector, and yield before you run any simulations.

Each label here tells you something specific:

Ticker & Name – The symbol and full company name (for example, AGNC — AGNC Investment).
Price ($) – The share price used for all calculations on this page.
Monthly Dividend ($/share) – How much the stock pays per share per month.
Sector – The sector or type, such as REIT or Mortgage REIT.
Annual Dividend/Share – The monthly dividend multiplied by 12.
Yield – Annual dividend divided by price, shown as a percentage.

These values are what your simulation is built on, so the next step is making sure they match the numbers you want to test.

3. Edit Price and Dividend Data (Optional)

Dividend yields move constantly, especially on ETFs. That’s why the Stock Detail page includes an Edit mode — so you can plug in fresh numbers before running a scenario.

Edit mode on the stock header with editable price and monthly dividend plus save and cancel buttons — Use Edit to tweak the price or monthly dividend, then Save to update the simulation inputs.

Price ($) – Adjust this if the current market price has changed.
Monthly Dividend ($/share) – Change this if the payout is updated or you want to test a different rate.
Save / Cancel – Save applies your changes to the simulator; Cancel keeps the previous values.

Prices and dividends in DividendSim are not live quotes. Editing simply lets you line up the simulation with the latest numbers from your broker or research source.

4. Set Up Your Simulation

The row of inputs under the info bar is where you build your single-stock scenario. Think of this as telling DividendSim how much you’re investing and for how long.

Simulation inputs for amount invested, starting shares, months held, monthly contribution, and DRIP checkbox — Use these inputs to describe your starting position and how long you want to hold the stock.

Amount Invested – Enter a dollar amount if you’re starting from cash (for example, $1,000).
Starting Shares – Or, if you already own the stock, enter the number of shares instead.
Either amount or shares – Use one of these fields:
- If you fill in Amount Invested, leave Starting Shares at 0. DividendSim calculates the shares for you.
- If you fill in Starting Shares, leave Amount Invested at 0. The app converts your shares back into a dollar value.
Months Held – How long you want to project this position, from 1 to 360 months (up to 30 years).
Monthly Contribution – Optional extra cash you add every month to buy more shares.
Reinvest monthly dividends into shares (DRIP) – When checked, every monthly dividend is used to buy more shares. This is classic DRIP behavior and is what drives the compounding you see in the charts.
Historical Capital gains – Optional dropdown that lets you apply a simple price trend to this single stock. Choose None for a dividends-only view, or pick 1 Year, 3 Year, or 5 Year to layer in historical capital gains or losses. The impact shows up as a separate Capital Gain/Loss line in the results.

Under the inputs you’ll also see buttons like Add to Portfolio and Clear Inputs. Add to Portfolio saves this configuration into your broader DividendSim portfolio view, while Clear Inputs resets the sliders so you can start a new scenario from scratch. If you’d like a deeper dive into how the Historical Capital gains dropdown works, check out the Capital Gains & Price Growth guide.

5. Review the Results Summary

Once your inputs are set, DividendSim runs the projection and updates the Results row. This section answers the big questions: How much did I put in, how much income did I earn, and what is my position worth at the end?

Results summary row showing initial investment, total dividends, annual income, ending value, ending monthly income and ending shares — The result cards summarize the key numbers coming out of your single-stock simulation.

Initial Investment – The starting dollar value of your position. If you entered shares, DividendSim calculates this using the stock price.
Total Dividends Earned – The sum of all dividends paid over the full time period.
Annual Income – Your projected yearly income from this stock at the end of the simulation.
Ending Value – The final value of your position after contributions, DRIP, and any price growth you’ve modeled.
Ending Monthly Income – How much monthly dividend income the position is paying at the end.
Capital Gain/Loss – The price-only gain or loss created by your Historical Capital gains setting. This will be 0 when Historical Capital gains is set to None.
Ending Shares – The total number of shares you own after all reinvestment and contributions.

6. Understand the Growth Chart

The first chart visualizes how your money grows over the months you selected. It breaks the final value into four layers so you can see what’s doing the heavy lifting: your initial stake, extra contributions, dividends, and the reinvested DRIP effect.

Stacked area chart showing months on the x-axis and contributions, dividends, and reinvested growth over time — The growth chart separates initial investment, contributions, dividends earned, and reinvested growth.

Initial Investment – The base layer representing your starting cash or shares.
Contributions – Additional deposits you add each month.
Dividends Earned – The total cash payouts from the stock over time.
Reinvested Growth – The extra growth that comes from turning dividends into more shares through DRIP.

When DRIP is turned on and you’re contributing regularly, this top layer grows faster — showing how reinvestment accelerates returns compared with just taking the dividends in cash.

7. Track Monthly Income Over Time

The second chart focuses purely on monthly income. Instead of total value, it shows how much the stock is paying you month by month at each point in the timeline.

Line chart showing monthly dividend income per month over the simulation period — The monthly income chart makes it easy to see your payout climbing as shares are added over time.

This view is especially helpful if you’re building a dividend strategy around specific income targets. You can see, for example, how a $10 starting payout might grow to $60+ per month with DRIP and consistent investing.

The Stock Detail page is your single-stock lab inside DividendSim. Use it to experiment with different prices, payouts, and DRIP settings before adding positions to your portfolio.

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