Stock Profit Calculator

Your exact profit or loss after commissions, the return on the money you put in, the sell price where you break even — and the annualized rate if you add holding time.

Trade details

Works for any stock or ETF trade — enter what you paid and what you sold (or plan to sell) for.

buysell

Flat amounts per trade. Most US brokers are $0; add SEC/TAF or platform fees if any.

yrmo

Profit / loss

—

Return (ROI)—
Total cost—
Total proceeds—
Break-even price—
Annualized return—

How it’s calculated

Total cost = shares × buy price + buy fee  ·  Proceeds = shares × sell price − sell fee + dividends
Profit = proceeds − cost  ·  ROI = profit ÷ cost
Break-even price = (cost + sell fee − dividends) ÷ shares  ·  Annualized = (proceeds ÷ cost)1/years − 1

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What your stock profit really is

The profit on a trade isn’t just sell price minus buy price. Commissions raise your true cost and shrink your proceeds, and any dividends collected while holding add to your return — investors routinely forget both. This calculator computes profit on the complete picture: everything the position cost you against everything it paid back, so the ROI you see is the return on money that actually left your account.

Break-even price: the number worth memorizing

The break-even price is the sell price at which you walk away with exactly what you put in, fees included. If you paid any commissions, it sits slightly above your purchase price — sell at your buy price and you’ve technically lost money. Dividends pull it down: a position that has paid you meaningful income can be sold below your purchase price and still come out ahead. Knowing this one number makes “should I sell here?” a much clearer question.

Total return vs annualized return

A 24% gain sounds identical whether it took ten months or ten years, but those are radically different investments. Add your holding time and the calculator converts total return into an equivalent yearly rate, which is the only fair way to compare this trade against an index fund, a savings account, or your other investments. Averaging into a position over several buys instead? Work out your blended cost basis first with the stock average calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate profit on a stock trade?
Multiply shares by the sell price, subtract selling fees, and add any dividends received — that’s your proceeds. Subtract your total cost (shares × buy price + buying fees). What’s left is profit; divide it by total cost for your percentage return.
Should I include commissions if my broker is commission-free?
Zero-commission brokers still pass through small regulatory fees (SEC and TAF fees on US sells, typically cents), and some platforms charge FX or platform fees. If they’re negligible, leave the fee fields at 0 — the math is unaffected.
What is a break-even sell price?
The price at which selling returns exactly your total cost after all fees. It equals (total cost + sell fee − dividends received) ÷ shares. Above it you profit, below it you lose.
Do dividends count as part of my stock profit?
For total-return purposes, yes — cash dividends are money the position paid you and belong in your return. Note they’re usually taxed in the year received, separately from your capital gain.
What’s the difference between ROI and annualized return?
ROI is the total percentage gain over the whole trade regardless of duration. Annualized return spreads it into an equivalent constant yearly rate — (proceeds ÷ cost)^(1/years) − 1 — which lets you compare trades of different lengths fairly.
Does this calculator account for taxes?
No — it shows pre-tax profit. Capital gains tax depends on your country, income, and holding period (in the US, positions held over a year get lower long-term rates). Treat the result as your gross gain.
Can I use this for a stock I haven’t sold yet?
Yes — enter the current market price as the sell price to see your unrealized profit and where the position stands against break-even.

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