Stock Profit Calculator
Find the gain or loss on a stock you bought and sold, with commissions, plus your return on cost and the break-even sale price.
Stock profit is what you receive from the sale, less the sell commission, minus your cost basis: the purchase price plus the buy commission. Buying 50 shares at $120 and selling at $150 with $4.95 commission each way is a $1,490.10 gain, a 24.81% return on the $6,004.95 basis.
This calculator shows the arithmetic of a stock purchase and sale for general education; it is not financial, investment or tax advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Results are before taxes and leave out dividends, stock splits, reinvested distributions, wash sale rules and any fees you do not enter. Your broker's cost basis records and tax forms are the figures that count; consult a qualified tax or financial professional about your own situation.
Shares and prices take up to four decimals; commissions up to two. Leave a commission blank for none.
Gain
$1,490.10
24.81% return on the cost basis, $29.80 a share
- Purchase (shares x price)
- $6,000.00
- Cost basis (with buy commission)
- $6,004.95
- Sale proceeds (shares x price)
- $7,500.00
- Amount realized (less sell commission)
- $7,495.05
- Break-even sale price a share
- $120.20
Before taxes and dividends. Break-even is rounded up to the cent.
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About the Stock Profit Calculator
For a plain purchase and sale, the gain on a stock is the amount realized minus your cost basis, following the tax guidance credited below. Your basis is generally what you paid for the shares plus the commission to buy them; the amount realized is what the sale brought in minus the commission to sell. Take 50 shares bought at $120 and sold at $150 with $4.95 commission each way. The purchase is $6,000.00 and the basis $6,004.95; the sale brings in $7,500.00, or $7,495.05 after the commission, so the gain is $1,490.10, $29.80 a share and 24.81% of the basis. Losses work the same way: 200 shares bought at $18.40 and sold at $15.10 lose $660.00, or 17.93%. Commissions matter most on small trades. Ten shares bought at $20 and sold at $20.50 look like a gain, but $4.95 each way turns it into a $4.90 loss; the break-even sale price is $20.99 a share. Fractional shares work too: half a share bought at $400 and sold at $430 gains $15.00, a 7.50% return.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate profit on a stock?+
Multiply the shares by the sale price and subtract the sell commission, then subtract your cost basis: shares times the purchase price plus the buy commission. 50 shares from $120 to $150 with $4.95 each way gain $1,490.10.
How do I calculate the percent return on a stock?+
Divide the gain or loss by the cost basis and multiply by 100. A $1,490.10 gain on a $6,004.95 basis is a 24.81% return. This is the return over however long you held the shares, not a yearly rate.
What price do I need to sell at to break even?+
Add the sell commission to your cost basis and divide by the shares. For 10 shares bought at $20 with $4.95 each way, that is exactly $20.99 a share. When the division leaves a fraction of a cent, the calculator rounds up to the next cent so the sale does not lose money.
Does this calculator include taxes on the gain?+
No. It shows the gain or loss before tax. How a gain is taxed depends on how long you held the shares, with more than one year generally counting as long term, and on your own situation, so check current tax rules or ask a tax professional.
Gain or loss as amount realized minus adjusted basis, and the holding period: IRS Topic No. 409, Capital gains and losses. Commissions in basis: IRS Publication 551, Basis of Assets. Sale expenses in the amount realized: IRS Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses.
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