Calculate profit or loss, percentage return, total cost, and total revenue from a stock trade's buy price, sell price, and share count.
Last updated
Result
Profit of 30% on 100 shares.
Investing
Calculate the profit or loss from a stock trade by entering the buy price, sell price, and number of shares. See total cost, total revenue, dollar profit/loss, and percentage return at a glance.
The calculation is straightforward: multiply the price difference by the number of shares. A positive result is profit; negative is a loss.
Percentage return divides the profit by the total cost, showing the return relative to the amount invested — useful for comparing trades of different sizes.
Two core outputs from three inputs. This stock profit calculator formula explanation shows how the entered values flow into the main result and the supporting figures the calculator returns.
Profit/Loss = (Sell Price − Buy Price) × Shares
Positive = profit, negative = loss. This is the specific relationship the calculator applies when building the result.
% Return = ((Sell Price − Buy Price) / Buy Price) × 100
Percentage gain or loss relative to the purchase price.
An investor buys 100 shares at 50 and sells at 65. Profit = (65 − 50) × 100 = 1,500. Return = 15/50 × 100 = 30%. The example section should make the workflow concrete, so this page keeps the arithmetic tied to a plausible scenario rather than leaving the result as an abstract formula.
Does not include brokerage commissions, fees, slippage, or taxes. Does not account for dividends received during the holding period. For a complete return picture, add dividend income and subtract all transaction costs.
Frequently asked questions
No. This calculates the gross profit/loss from price movement only. To get your net return, subtract any brokerage commissions, exchange fees, and taxes from the result.
Add any dividends received during the holding period to the profit figure. Total return = capital gain + dividends received − costs.
No. This is the total return over the holding period, regardless of duration. To annualise, you would need the holding period length and use compound annual growth rate (CAGR) arithmetic.
For a short sale, enter the short sale price as the buy price and the cover price as the sell price. A profit occurs when the cover price is lower than the short price.
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