Stock Profit Calculator
Compute your net profit or loss on a stock trade, including buy and sell commissions.
Commissions eat into returns on both ends of a trade. Enter your buy and sell prices, share count, and any fees to see your true net profit, percentage return, profit per share, and the exact break-even sell price you needed to beat.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the price you paid per share and the number of shares.
- Enter the price you sold (or plan to sell) at.
- Add any buy and sell commissions (leave at 0 for commission-free trades).
- Click Calculate to see net profit, return %, profit per share, and break-even price.
The formula
Net Profit = (Sell Price × Shares − Sell Commission) − (Buy Price × Shares + Buy Commission)
Worked example
Buying 100 shares at $50 ($5,000) with a $10 commission and selling at $65 ($6,500) with a $10 commission nets $1,480 — a 29.54% return, with a break-even sell price of $50.10 per share.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is net stock profit calculated?
Net profit is what you actually keep: (sell price × shares − sell commission) minus (buy price × shares + buy commission). The percentage return divides that net profit by your total cost including fees. A trade that looks profitable before fees can be a loser after them.
What is the break-even price?
The break-even sell price is your total cost (shares plus buy commission) divided by shares — the price at which you'd exactly recover your money before the sell commission. You need to sell above it to make a real profit. With a $10 buy fee on 100 shares at $50, break-even is $50.10.
Why bother including commissions?
Because they're a real cost, and they matter most on small trades. A $10 round-trip commission on a $500 trade is a 2% hurdle before you've made a dime. Even with zero-commission brokers, spreads and fees on options or foreign stocks still apply.
Does this calculator include taxes?
No — it shows pre-tax profit. In the US, stocks held over a year qualify for lower long-term capital-gains rates, while short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. Subtract your estimated tax to see your true take-home profit.
What if I bought shares at different prices?
Use your average cost basis: total amount paid for all shares (including fees) divided by total shares, entered as the buy price. Brokerages track this for you, and it's the number the IRS uses when you sell.