Dollar cost averaging (DCA) in ELAN means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of share price. This strategy reduces timing risk and builds wealth steadily through market ups and downs.
How This Calculator Works
Our DCA calculator simulates real market conditions using historical price data. It accounts for dividend reinvestment (DRIP), where each dividend payment automatically purchases additional shares. You can adjust the investment amount, frequency, time period, and compare against benchmarks like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100.
More ELAN Analysis
ELAN DCA Calculator
Dollar Cost Averaging — Elanco Animal Health Incorporated
Same amount invested each month — only the day of purchase changes. How much does intra-month timing actually matter?
Best Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly low
Total Return+39.1%
Final Value$66.8K
Perfectly timed — impossible in practice
Your DCA
StrategyBuy on 1st of month
Total Return+28.0%
Final Value$61.5K
Consistent — no timing needed
Worst Timing DCA
StrategyBuy on monthly high
Total Return+20.0%
Final Value$57.6K
Worst possible — still beats not investing
Best vs Worst gap19.1 pp
Your timing vs best-11.0%
Your timing vs worst+8.1%
If You Keep Investing…
Based on this stock's historical CAGR of 4.0%/yr — put in vs. walk away with.
Your Plan
At $500/mo, this could grow into:
3 Years$19K~1.1x your moneyfrom $18K invested
5 Years$33K~1.1x your moneyfrom $30K invested
10 Years$73K~1.2x your moneyfrom $60K invested
20 Years$181K~1.5x your moneyfrom $120K invested
Compare Other Monthly Amounts
Same CAGR assumption. Use this to pressure-test different monthly commitments.
Monthly
3 Years~1.1x your money
5 Years~1.1x your money
10 Years~1.2x your money
20 Years~1.5x your money
$100/mo
$4K+$213 est. gain
$7K+$614 est. gain
$15K+$3K est. gain
$36K+$12K est. gain
$250/mo
$10K+$532 est. gain
$17K+$2K est. gain
$37K+$7K est. gain
$91K+$31K est. gain
$500/mo
$19K+$1K est. gain
$33K+$3K est. gain
$73K+$13K est. gain
$181K+$61K est. gain
$1,000/mo
$38K+$2K est. gain
$66K+$6K est. gain
$146K+$26K est. gain
$363K+$123K est. gain
* Projection assumes historical CAGR of 4.0% continues. Actual returns will vary.
Your DCA Results by Date
77 purchases
Date
Price
Invested
Portfolio Value
% Gain
Gain ($)
Jan 2, 2020
$29.47
$10,000
$10,000
+0.00%
$0
Feb 3, 2020
$31.30
$10,500
$11,121
+5.91%
$621
Mar 2, 2020
$27.78
$11,000
$10,370
-5.72%
$-630
Apr 2, 2020
$20.77
$11,500
$8,253
-28.23%
$-3,247
May 4, 2020
$23.97
$12,000
$10,025
-16.46%
$-1,975
Jun 2, 2020
$22.27
$12,500
$9,814
-21.49%
$-2,686
Jul 2, 2020
$21.21
$13,000
$9,847
-24.25%
$-3,153
Aug 3, 2020
$23.31
$13,500
$11,322
-16.13%
$-2,178
Sep 2, 2020
$28.83
$14,000
$14,503
+3.59%
$503
Oct 2, 2020
$27.70
$14,500
$14,435
-0.45%
$-65
Nov 2, 2020
$31.83
$15,000
$17,087
+13.91%
$2,087
Dec 2, 2020
$30.00
$15,500
$16,604
+7.12%
$1,104
Jan 4, 2021
$30.50
$16,000
$17,381
+8.63%
$1,381
Feb 2, 2021
$29.54
$16,500
$17,334
+5.05%
$834
Mar 2, 2021
$32.34
$17,000
$19,477
+14.57%
$2,477
Apr 5, 2021
$28.96
$17,500
$17,941
+2.52%
$441
May 3, 2021
$31.80
$18,000
$20,201
+12.23%
$2,201
Jun 2, 2021
$35.41
$18,500
$22,994
+24.29%
$4,494
Jul 2, 2021
$34.94
$19,000
$23,189
+22.05%
$4,189
Aug 2, 2021
$36.50
$19,500
$24,724
+26.79%
$5,224
Sep 2, 2021
$33.80
$20,000
$23,395
+16.98%
$3,395
Oct 4, 2021
$32.10
$20,500
$22,719
+10.82%
$2,219
Nov 2, 2021
$31.73
$21,000
$22,957
+9.32%
$1,957
Dec 2, 2021
$28.78
$21,500
$21,322
-0.83%
$-178
Jan 3, 2022
$28.25
$22,000
$21,430
-2.59%
$-570
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DCA investing in ELAN
Investing $500 per month in Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (ELAN) over the past 6 years would be worth approximately $61K today. That's +28.0% total return on $48K invested, with a +4.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).