Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (2024)

Beta Formula Calculation

Beta is a measure of the stock's volatility compared to the overall stock market. We can calculate beta using three formulas –

  1. Covariance/Variance Method
  2. By Slope Method in Excel
  3. Correlation Method
Table of contents
  • Beta Formula Calculation
    • Top 3 Formula to Calculate Beta
      • #1- Covariance/Variance Method
      • #2 -By Slope Method in Excel
      • #3 - Correlation Method
    • Step by Step Beta Calculation
    • Examples of Beta Formula
      • Using Correlation Method - Example #1
      • Example #2
      • Example #3
    • Relevance and Uses
    • Recommended Articles
  • The beta formula measures a stock's volatility relative to the overall stock market. It can be calculated using the covariance/variance method, the slope method in Excel, and the correlation method.
  • A beta value of 1 indicates that the stock closely tracks the movements of the overall market.
  • A higher beta value suggests that the stock is riskier, as it tends to have more significant price fluctuations compared to the market. Conversely, a lower beta indicates less volatility compared to the market.

Top 3 Formula to Calculate Beta

Let us discuss each of the beta formulas in detail -

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (1)

#1- Covariance/Variance Method

Beta Formula = Covariance (Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm)

Covariance( Ri, Rm) = Σ ( R i,n – R i,avg ) * ( R m,n – R m,avg ) / (n-1)

Variance (Rm) = Σ (R m,n – R m,avg ) ^2 / n

To calculate the covariance, we must know the stock return and the market return, which is taken as a benchmark value. We must also know the variance of the market return.

#2 -By Slope Method in Excel

We can also calculate Beta by using the slope function in excel. The Microsoft Excel SLOPE function returns the slope of a regression line based on the data points identified by % change in NASDAQ and % change of the company, which we are calculating.

% change is calculated as below:

Return = Closing Share Price – Opening Share Price / Opening Share Price

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (2)

#3 - Correlation Method

Beta can also be calculated using the correlation method. Beta can be calculated by dividing the asset's standard deviation of returns by the market's standard deviation. The result is then multiplied by the correlation of the security's return and the market's return.

Beta Formula = Σ Correlation (R i, Rm) * σi / σm

Step by Step Beta Calculation

Follow the below steps:

  1. First, download Historical prices and NASDAQ index data from the past three years.

    You can download the data from yahoo finance, as I have done below.

    #1 - For NASDAQ Dataset, Please visit this link - (finance.yahoo.com/).

    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (3)

    #2 - For Google Prices, Please visit this URL - finance.yahoo.com

    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (4)

  2. Then Sort the Prices as Done Below.

    Then we need to sort the dates of the stock prices and adjusted closing prices in ascending order of dates. We need only these two columns, and the remaining columns can be deleted as we donu2019t have use of those for beta calculations in excel.

    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (5)

  3. Then, prepare the beta coefficient excel sheet, as shown below. We put both the data on one sheet.


    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (6)

  4. Then calculate Daily Returns we get.


    Return = Closing Share Price - Opening Share Price / Opening Share Price

  5. Then, calculate Beta by the Variance-Covariance method.

    In this case, we need to use the two formulas (formulas of variance and covariance in excel), as shown below:

    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (7)

    Using the variance-covariance method, we get the Beta as 0.16548 (Beta Coefficient)

  6. Calculate Beta using SLOPE Function available in excel

    Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (8)

    Using this SLOPE function method, we again get the Beta as 1.2051 (Beta Coefficient)

Examples of Beta Formula

Let’s take an example to better understand the beta equation calculation in a better manner.

Using Correlation Method - Example #1

An investor is looking to calculate the beta of company XYZ compared to the NASDAQ. XYZ has a standard deviation of returns of 22.12%, and NASDAQ has a standard deviation of returns of 22.21%. Based on data over the past three years, the correlation between the firm XYZ and NASDAQ is 0.82.

Solution:

Use the following data for the calculation of the beta.

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (9)

So, the calculation of the beta –

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (10)

Beta of XYZ = 0.82 x (0.2212 ÷ 0.2221)

Beta of XYZ = 0.817

In this case, Company XYZ is considered less risky than the market NASDAQ with its beta of 0.817.

Example #2

We will discuss some examples using data from the industry.

Now we will take an example to calculate the beta of Google and the Market index as NASDAQ. We will calculate the Beta of Google and Amazon in excel– variance/covariance method, slope function. We will see each of the beta coefficient calculations.

Calculation of Beta of Google using correlation and covariance in excel

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (11)

We will calculate the beta of Google as compared to NASDAQ.

Based on data over the past three years, take the data from Yahoo finance and calculate Beta as below:-

  • Beta = Covariance (Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm)
  • Beta = 0.165

In this case, Google is considered less volatile than NASDAQ, with its beta of 0.165.

Example #3

We will calculate the beta of Amazon as compared to NASDAQ.

Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (12)

Based on data over the past three years, take the data from Yahoo finance and calculate Beta as below:

Beta = Covariance (Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm)

Beta = 0.000135

In this case, Amazon has zero correlation with the market movements.

Relevance and Uses

Beta indicates whether an investment is more volatile or less volatile. Beta, which has a value of 1, indicates that it exactly moves following the market value.

A higher beta indicates that the stock is riskier, and a lower beta indicates that the stock is less volatile than the market. Most Betas generally fall between the values range 1.0 to 2.0. The beta of a stock or fund is always compared to the market/benchmark. The beta of the market is equal to 1. If a stock is benchmarked against the market and has a beta value greater than 1 (for example, we consider it as 1.6), this indicates that the stock is 60 percent riskier than the market as the market beta is 1.

Beta is used in the formulae of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which calculates the expected return of an asset based on the value of beta and expects a market return.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the assumptions of the beta formula?

The beta formula relies on several assumptions for accurate interpretation. It assumes efficient markets, meaning stock prices reflect all available information. It also assumes a linear relationship between a stock's and overall market returns. The beta formula presupposes hom*oscedasticity, where the variability of stock returns is constant over time.

2. What are the benefits of using the beta formula?

The beta formula offers various benefits in the field of finance and investment. It helps investors assess a stock's risk level concerning market movements, aiding in risk management and portfolio diversification. Beta is crucial in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which determines expected returns and the cost of equity. It enables investors to compare and select assets aligned with their risk tolerance and investment objectives.

3. What is the beta vs. alpha formula?

Beta and alpha are both important measures in finance. Beta quantifies a stock's sensitivity to market movements, indicating its risk level. A beta greater than 1 signifies higher volatility compared to the market, while a beta less than 1 suggests lower volatility. On the other hand, alpha measures a stock's risk-adjusted performance, indicating its excess return above the expected return based on its beta. A positive alpha indicates outperformance, while a negative alpha suggests underperformance.

Recommended Articles

This article has been a guide to Beta Formula. Here we learn how to calculate beta using the top 3 methods and practical examples, and a downloadable excel template. You can learn more about financial analysis from the following articles –

  • Formula of Levered Beta
  • Equity Beta Formula
  • Gini Coefficient
  • Unlevered Beta Formula
Beta Formula (Top 3 Methods) | Step by Step Examples to Calculate Beta (2024)

FAQs

How to calculate beta with an example? ›

Beta = Covariance (Rs, RI) / Variance (RI)

If a stock returned 8% last year and the index returned 5%, a rough estimate of beta is: 8 / 5 = 1.6. This method only compares two data points. For more data points, running the covariance and variance in a spreadsheet such as Excel is recommended.

What is the formula for calculating beta is given? ›

Calculating Beta

A security's beta is calculated by dividing the product of the covariance of the security's returns and the market's returns by the variance of the market's returns over a specified period.

What method is used for calculation of the accounting beta? ›

Accounting betas are estimated by regression of the company's return on assets against the average return on assets for large sample of firms as included in a market index. Betas determined by using accounting data instead of stock market data is known as accounting data.

What is the method of beta? ›

The covariance method calculates beta by dividing the covariance between the security's returns and the market's returns by the variance of the market's returns. The covariance is a measure of how two variables move together, and the variance is a measure of how volatile a variable is.

What is an example of a beta? ›

Examples of Beta

As an example, consider an electric utility company with a β of 0.45, which would have returned only 45% of what the market returned in a given period. Negative β – A company with a negative β is negatively correlated to the returns of the market.

Which of the following formula is used for calculating the beta? ›

The first is to use the formula for beta, which is calculated as the covariance between the return (ra) of the stock and the return (rb) of the index divided by the variance of the index over three years.

What is the mathematical formula of beta? ›

Beta functions are a special type of function, which is also known as Euler integral of the first kind. It is usually expressed as B(x, y) where x and y are real numbers greater than 0. It is also a symmetric function, such as B(x, y) = B(y, x). In Mathematics, there is a term known as special functions.

How do you calculate beta rate? ›

How to calculate a stock's beta. A stock's beta is equal to the covariance of the stock's returns and its benchmark index's returns over a particular time period, divided by the variance of the index's returns over that period. As a formula, β = covariance(stock returns, index returns) / variance(index returns).

What is beta method? ›

The Newmark-beta method is a method of numerical integration used to solve certain differential equations. It is widely used in numerical evaluation of the dynamic response of structures and solids such as in finite element analysis to model dynamic systems.

What is the formula for the beta distribution method? ›

If X∼beta(α,β), then: the mean of X is E[X]=αα+β, the variance of X is Var(X)=αβ(α+β)2(α+β+1).

What is beta and how is it measured? ›

Beta is a statistical measure of the volatility of a stock versus the overall market. A beta above 1 means a stock is more volatile than the overall market. A beta below 1 means a stock is less volatile than the overall market. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq 100 are frequently used beta measures.

Are there different ways to calculate beta? ›

The formula for the beta of an individual stock within a portfolio takes the covariance divided by the variance. Investors can also find the correlation between the market index standard, multiply it by the stock's standard deviation and divide it by the market index's standard deviation.

What is beta counting method? ›

The beta-particle emission from a sediment or rock sample can be measured very precisely using beta-counting instruments. The observed count rate is largely a function of the radionuclide concentration in the sample, so has the potential to provide a precise estimate of the natural radiation dose rate.

What is the formula for beta estimation technique? ›

As the most likely scenario has a more significant impact on the outcome, you multiply the value by 4 while the overall divisor increases to 6. The formula for calculating the beta distribution method is:Time / Cost estimate = (Optimistic estimate + 4 × Most likely estimate + Pessimistic Estimate) / 6.

How to calculate beta ratio? ›

The beta ratio is an indicator of how well a filter controls particulate: i.e., if one out of every two particles (>xmm) in the fluid pass through the filter, the beta ratio at xmm is 2, if one out of every 200 of the particles (>xmm) pass through the filter the beta ratio is 200.

What does a β of 1.3 mean? ›

The market is described as having a beta of 1. The beta for a stock describes how much the stock's price moves compared to the market. If a stock has a beta above 1, it's more volatile than the overall market. For example, if an asset has a beta of 1.3, it's theoretically 30% more volatile than the market.

How do you calculate the beta of a CAPM? ›

CAPM Beta Formula

To calculate a CAPM beta, subtract the expected market return from the expected investment return, then divide by the result of the market return minus the risk-free return.

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