Investing
Stock Profit Calculator: Gain, Loss and Return After Fees
Enter the number of shares, your buy and sell prices and the commission per trade: the calculator returns the profit or loss, the return on the capital used, the breakeven price and the exit needed for a target return. It handles short sales too.
Stock profit calculator
- Profit
- +$598.00
- +11.96%
- Capital used (with entry fee)
- $5,001.00
- Sale proceeds (after fee)
- $5,599.00
- Breakeven exit price
- $50.02
- Total commissions
- $2.00
To make 10% after commissions, sell at $55.021 or higher.
Return is measured on the capital used to open the trade. Taxes, borrow fees on short sales and the bid-ask spread are not included.
The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
Educational tool, not financial advice. The results only reflect the numbers you enter and say nothing about future returns. Trading involves a substantial risk of loss.
How to use the stock profit calculator
- Choose the direction: buy then sell, or sell short then buy back.
- Enter the number of shares, the entry price and the exit price you got or plan to get.
- Add the commission per trade if your broker charges one; it is counted on both the entry and the exit.
- Read the profit or loss, the return and the breakeven exit price that covers the commissions.
- Enter a target return to see the exit price that reaches it, and compare it with your risk on the trade.
The stock profit formula in plain words
For a long trade, the profit is the number of shares times the difference between the sell and buy prices, minus both commissions. The return divides that profit by the capital you used to open the trade, including the entry commission.
For a short sale it is the mirror image: you profit when the buy-back price is below the price you sold at. The breakeven price is the exit at which the price move exactly pays for the two commissions.
Long profit = shares × (sell − buy) − 2 × commission
Short profit = shares × (sale price − buy-back price) − 2 × commission
Return = profit ÷ (shares × entry price + commission)
Breakeven = entry ± 2 × commission ÷ shares
Worked example
You buy 100 shares at $50.00 and sell them at $56.00, with a $1.00 commission on each trade.
- Capital used: 100 × $50.00 + $1.00 = $5,001.00. Sale proceeds: 100 × $56.00 − $1.00 = $5,599.00.
- Profit: $5,599.00 − $5,001.00 = $598.00, a return of $598.00 ÷ $5,001.00 = 11.96%.
- Breakeven: $50.00 + $2.00 ÷ 100 = $50.02. Any sale above that price is a profit after commissions.
- For a 10% return, the profit has to reach $500.10, so the sale price must be at least $55.021.
- The same 100 shares sold short at $50.00 and bought back at $45.00 make $498.00 after the two commissions.
Questions
Does the calculator include taxes?
No. Taxes on capital gains depend on your country, your holding period and your account type, so the result is before tax. It also leaves out the bid-ask spread, which you pay implicitly when you buy at the ask and sell at the bid; see bid-ask spread.
How is the return calculated on a short sale?
On the value of the shares when you sold them short, plus the entry commission. Brokers also charge a borrow fee to hold a short position, which this calculator does not include. The short selling lesson explains the costs and the risk of a short squeeze.
What if I bought the shares at different prices?
Use your average cost as the buy price. The stock average calculator works it out from several purchases.
UpTickFlow is our product. These guides are education, not financial advice. Trading involves a substantial risk of loss.