Why Use a Stock Profit Calculator?
Knowing your exact profit matters when making investment decisions. You need to see how much money you actually made after accounting for fees and taxes. Our calculator does the math instantly so you can focus on strategy instead of spreadsheets.
What Information You Need
Before you start, gather these numbers from your brokerage statements:
- Number of shares you bought
- Price per share when you bought
- Price per share when you sold (or current price)
- Trading fees or commissions paid
Most brokers show this information clearly on your account statements. If you use commission-free trading, your fees equal zero.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Enter Number of Shares
Type how many shares you purchased. If you bought 100 shares of Apple stock, enter 100. The calculator handles any quantity from a single share to thousands.
Step 2: Input Buy Price
Enter the price you paid per share. Look at your purchase confirmation. If you bought shares at different times and prices, use our average cost calculator first to find your average buy price.
Step 3: Enter Sell Price
Put in the price per share when you sold. If you haven't sold yet, use the current market price to see your unrealized profit. This helps you decide whether to hold or sell.
Step 4: Add Trading Fees
Include any commissions or fees charged by your broker. Some platforms charge $5 or $10 per trade. Others offer free trading. Enter the total fees for both buying and selling. These costs reduce your actual profit.
Step 5: Review Your Results
The calculator instantly shows your total profit in dollars and your percentage return. Positive numbers mean profit. Negative numbers show losses. The percentage return lets you compare this trade against other investments.
Understanding Your Results
The calculator provides several useful numbers:
Total Profit/Loss:
The actual dollars you made or lost on this trade.
Return Percentage:
Your profit as a percentage of your investment. Makes it easy to compare different trades.
Total Investment:
How much money you put into buying the shares including fees.
Sale Proceeds:
How much money you received from selling after fees.
Common Scenarios
Checking Unrealized Gains
Use the current stock price as your sell price to see paper profits. This helps you decide if you should cash out or keep holding. Remember these gains disappear if the price drops before you sell.
Partial Position Sales
If you sold only some of your shares, enter just the number you sold. Calculate the remaining shares separately to track your full position.
Multiple Buy Prices
When you bought shares at different prices, calculate your average cost first. Then use that average as your buy price in the profit calculator. Our average cost calculator makes this easy.
What About Taxes?
The stock profit calculator shows your profit before taxes. You still owe capital gains tax on that profit. Use our tax impact calculator to see your after-tax returns. Taxes make a big difference, especially on short-term gains.
Tips for Accurate Calculations
- Always include all fees in your calculation
- Use the actual prices from your statements, not rounded numbers
- Calculate each position separately for clarity
- Save your calculations to track performance over time
- Factor in dividends received as additional profit
Related Calculators
Combine the stock profit calculator with our other tools for complete investment analysis. Calculate your compound annual growth rate to see long-term performance. Use the position sizing calculator to determine how many shares to buy based on risk tolerance.
Ready to Calculate Your Profit?
Get instant results with our free stock profit calculator. No signup required.
Calculate Stock Profit Now