Percentages aren't always easy to calculate, but one of the best tools in Excel's toolbox is calculating percentages for you. Here's how to do it.

A straight ranking result is easy using one of Microsoft Excel’s ranking functions. Calculating a conditional rank is even easier if you let an Excel PivotTable do all the work.

Add together all the cash flows you have put in the spreadsheet to calculate a total. Divide the total by the number of historical entries to calculate the mean average cash flow.

Adding a running total to a simple Microsoft Excel revenue sheet isn't difficult, but adding a conditional running total will require a bit more effort. Solutions are simpler than you might think.

The article How to Calculate the Regression of 2 Stocks Using Excel originally appeared on Fool.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days .

With Excel and data from your broker, however, calculating the average return is fairly easy using the XIRR function. How to calculate average stock returns in Excel ...