Stock Profit Calculator
Find out how much you make or lose on a stock trade. Enter the number of shares, buy and sell prices and your broker's commissions to get the net profit, percentage return and the price you need to break even.
Profit vs sell price
| Sell price | Change | Net proceeds | Net profit | Return |
|---|
Estimates only, not financial or tax advice. Real trades can include spreads, exchange and regulatory fees, currency conversion and taxes that depend on your holding period and country.
How to use the Stock Profit Calculator
- Enter the number of shares and the price per share you paid.
- Enter the sell price, or a target price you are thinking about.
- Set the commissions for buying and selling as a flat fee or a percentage of the trade. Use 0 for commission-free brokers.
- Optionally add the holding period in days and a tax rate on gains.
- Press Calculate profit to see the profit, % return and break-even price, and check the chart and table for other sell prices.
Stock profit formulas
- Total cost = shares × buy price + buy commission
- Net proceeds = shares × sell price − sell commission
- Net profit = net proceeds − total cost
- Return = net profit ÷ total cost × 100
- Break-even price = (total cost + flat sell fee) ÷ shares, or total cost ÷ (shares × (1 − sell fee %))
- Annualized return = (net proceeds ÷ total cost)365 ÷ days − 1
How commissions change the result
100 shares bought at $50 and sold at $65.
| Commissions | Total cost | Net proceeds | Net profit | Return | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | $5,000.00 | $6,500.00 | $1,500.00 | 30.00% | $50.00 |
| $5 flat each way | $5,005.00 | $6,495.00 | $1,490.00 | 29.77% | $50.10 |
| $5 buy, 1% sell | $5,005.00 | $6,435.00 | $1,430.00 | 28.57% | $50.56 |
| 0.5% each way | $5,025.00 | $6,467.50 | $1,442.50 | 28.71% | $50.50 |
Tips for tracking stock gains
- Include every cost in the buy price: commissions, exchange fees and currency conversion if you buy foreign shares.
- If you bought in several lots, use your average cost per share as the buy price.
- Dividends received are not part of this calculation. Add them to your profit for the total return.
- Small trades are hit hardest by flat commissions. A $5 fee on a $200 trade is 2.5% before the price even moves.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate profit on a stock?
Net profit = (shares × sell price − sell commission) − (shares × buy price + buy commission). For 100 shares bought at $50 and sold at $65 with $5 commissions each way, the profit is $6,495 − $5,005 = $1,490.
How is the percentage return calculated?
Return = net profit ÷ total cost × 100, where total cost includes the buy commission. In the example above, $1,490 ÷ $5,005 = 29.77%, a little less than the 30% rise in the share price because of commissions.
What is the break-even sell price?
It is the price at which selling returns exactly what you paid, including both commissions. With a flat sell fee: (total cost + sell fee) ÷ shares. With a percentage fee: total cost ÷ (shares × (1 − fee %)).
What does annualized return mean?
It converts your return into a yearly rate: (proceeds ÷ cost)^(365 ÷ days) − 1. It helps compare trades held for different lengths of time, but for short holds it extrapolates and can look very large.
Does this include taxes?
Only if you enter a tax rate, which is applied to positive gains. Real capital gains tax depends on your country, income and how long you held the shares, so treat it as a rough estimate.
Is my trade data stored?
Your last inputs are saved only in this browser for convenience. Nothing is sent to a server. This is an estimate, not financial or tax advice.