Stock Profit Calculator

Quick answer: Subtract your buy price from your sell price, multiply by the number of shares, subtract fees, and add any dividends. 100 shares bought at $50 and sold at $72 with no fees is a $2,200 profit, a +44% return.

How stock profit is calculated

Profit = (Sell − Buy) × Shares − Fees + Dividends

Buying 100 shares at $50 and selling at $72 is a $2,200 gross gain. After any commissions and adding dividends collected while you held, you get the net profit — and dividing by your cost basis gives the return that actually matters. In the example, that's a +44% total return.

The two numbers beginners skip

• Break-even price: the sell price where you neither gain nor lose, after fees. Below it, a "sale" is a loss even if the stock rose from a low. Knowing it stops panic-selling at the wrong point.
• Annualized return: a 44% gain over 18 months is not the same as 44% in a year. Annualizing (≈27%/year here) lets you compare the trade against index funds (~10%/yr) or any other investment on equal footing.

What this calculator does not include (on purpose)

Capital gains tax — because it depends on your income, your country, and how long you held (short-term vs long-term rates differ a lot in the US). The profit shown is pre-tax. For the tax layer, hold periods over a year usually qualify for lower long-term rates in the US; a dedicated capital-gains tool handles that separately. Reinvested dividends compound differently again — see the DRIP calculator.