How do you calculate stock profit?

Subtract total cost (buy price × shares + buy fee) from total proceeds (sell price × shares − sell fee), then add any dividends. Buying 100 at $50 and selling at $60 gives $1,000, a 20% return.

What is annualised return and why does it matter?

It's the yearly rate that produces your total return over the time you held. A 20% gain is about 9.5% a year over two years but only 2.3% over eight — the same total, very different results.

What's my break-even price?

Higher than your buy price, because you must clear both fees. On 10 shares at $50 with $10 commissions each way, you need roughly $52 just to get level.

Should I include dividends in returns?

Yes. A stock going from $50 to $55 while paying $2 a year for five years returned $15, not $5 — most of that is invisible on the price chart.

Stock Profit Calculator – Gain, Loss & Return

The Trade

Number of Shares

Buy Price Per Share

Sell Price Per Share

Buy Commission

Sell Commission

Dividends Received — optional

Years Held — optional

Gives the annualised return, which is the number that lets you compare trades

Results

Enter your details to see results

Profit / Loss

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Return

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Annualised Return

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Total Cost

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Total Proceeds

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Break-Even Sell Price

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Fees Paid

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How We Calculated

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Stock Profit Calculator Guide

Work out the actual profit on a trade after commissions, including dividends received and the annualised return.

The Formula

Profit = (sell price × shares − sell fee) − (buy price × shares + buy fee) + dividends
Buy 100 at $50, sell at $60: proceeds $6,000 − cost $5,000 = $1,000 profit, 20% return.

The Percentage Is the Point

A $1,000 profit means nothing on its own. On $5,000 it's a 20% return; on $500,000 it's a rounding error. The percentage is what lets you compare a trade against anything else you could have done — including doing nothing.

Annualised Return Is the Honest Comparison

A 20% gain sounds identical whether it took eight months or eight years. It isn't.

20% over two years annualises to about 9.5% a year. Over eight years it's 2.3%. The annualised figure is the only one that lets you compare a quick trade against a long hold, or against leaving the money in a savings account. Anyone quoting total returns without a timeframe is telling you half the story — sometimes deliberately.

Break-Even Isn't Your Buy Price

You need to clear the buy fee and the sell fee before you're level. On a small position with fixed commissions this matters a lot: on 10 shares at $50 with $10 fees each way, you need roughly $52 just to break even — a 4% move to earn nothing.

This is why fixed commissions punish small trades disproportionately, and why frequent small trading is so much harder than it looks.

Total Return Includes the Dividends

Judging a long hold on price alone understates it. A stock that went from $50 to $55 while paying $2 a year for five years returned $15, not $5 — three quarters of that return is invisible on the price chart.

What This Doesn't Include

Tax. Capital gains treatment varies by country, by holding period and by account type, and it can change the ranking of two trades entirely. Everything here is pre-tax.

Please note

These results are estimates for education and planning, not financial advice. Actual returns, rates, and terms vary — check with a qualified professional before making decisions.

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