Stock Profit Calculator

Calculate stock-trade profit or loss from share count, buy and sell prices, fees, dividends, and holding period.

Last updated 3 April 2026

Stock trade profit planner Combine share count, entry and exit prices, fees, dividends, and holding period to see total return and annualized return.

Shares Dividends received

Buy price Sell price

Buy-side fees Sell-side fees

Purchase date Sale date

Display currency

Switch the reporting currency without changing the trade assumptions.

Currency

Result

$1,010.00

Total stock-trade return after fees and dividends on 100 shares.

Total return: 24.02%
Annualized return: 20.32%
Break-even sell price: $40.90
Total fees: $10.00

Trade finishes ahead Price movement contributes $890.00, while cash income contributes $120.00.

Transaction summary

Cost basis is $4,205.00 on the way in. Net sale proceeds are $5,095.00 on the way out. Profit per share is $10.10.

Holding period

Holding period: 425 days.

About this calculator

General-reference calculator Reviewed 22 March 2026 Updated 3 April 2026

Editorial responsibility

Calcipedia editorial team

This page is maintained against the site trust model for its topic and updated when formulas, sources, or guidance materially change.

Formula provenance

Formula notes are kept in the page explanation when a named standard or reference materially affects the result.

Methodology

Calculates share-trade cost basis from shares, buy price, and buy-side fees, derives net sale proceeds after sell-side fees, adds entered dividends, and then computes total return, break-even sell price, and annualized return when the date range is valid.

Limitations

Does not include tax treatment, wash-sale adjustments, stock splits, DRIP handling, or basis changes from corporate actions.
Assumes buy and sell prices are executed prices and that all dividends are entered directly as cash received.
Annualized return is only shown when a valid purchase date and later sale date are entered.
This is a planning and record-checking tool only and not investment or tax advice.

Disclaimer

Use this result to understand stock-trade arithmetic only. Review taxes, basis records, and corporate actions separately before treating the output as a final economic result.

Formula notes

FINRA — Stocks — High-trust investor overview of stocks, dividends, and the mechanics of equity investing.
FINRA — Cost basis basics — High-trust investor guidance on the investment basis concepts that affect realized equity gains and losses.
FINRA — Evaluating performance — High-trust investor guidance on return interpretation, including income and performance framing.

Change notes

Change note: this page's updated date changes only when the formula, labels, examples, or user guidance materially changes. Cosmetic or deploy-only edits do not refresh the date.

See our calculation methodology and editorial standards, plus the editorial contact route, for how this estimate is produced and corrected.

← All Saving & Investing calculators

Trade P&L

Stock profit calculator guide: share-trade gain, dividends, fees, and annualized return

A stock profit calculator shows what happened between the day shares were purchased and the day they were sold after the effects of commissions or platform fees and any dividends received are included. That fuller picture matters because raw price change is only one part of an equity investment result. Costs reduce the trade outcome, while dividend income can improve it.

What total return means on a stock trade

Price return compares what the shares were sold for with what they cost to buy. Total return goes a step further by adding any cash dividends received during the holding period and subtracting the fees paid when entering or exiting the trade. That is why a trade can show a different result from the headline share-price move alone.

For long-term investors, this difference is important. A stock that appears to have produced only a modest price gain can still generate a stronger total return once dividends are counted. The opposite can also happen when repeated trading costs or a weak exit price offset the income received during the holding period.

Core maths behind stock-trade profit

The buy side starts with shares multiplied by buy price, then adds any buy-side fees to reach total cost basis. The sell side starts with shares multiplied by sell price, then subtracts sell-side fees to reach net sale proceeds. Dividends received are added afterward to convert pure price return into total return.

Break-even sell price is the price at which the shares would have needed to be sold so that net sale proceeds plus dividends exactly matched the original cost basis. Annualized return goes a step beyond total return by converting the overall gain or loss into a yearly equivalent rate for the actual holding period entered.

Total cost basis = Shares x Buy price + Buy-side fees

Measures the full cash amount committed when the stock position is opened.

Total return = Net sale proceeds + Dividends - Total cost basis

Combines realized price result and cash income after fees are applied.

Annualized return = ((Ending value / Cost basis)^(365.25 / Days held) - 1) x 100

Converts the total holding-period result into an annual equivalent rate when valid dates are entered.

Why annualized return is useful

Two trades can have the same total return percentage but very different holding periods. A 12% gain earned over four months and a 12% gain earned over two years are not equivalent results. Annualizing the return helps compare trades or investments held for different lengths of time more fairly.

Annualized return still has limits. It assumes the observed result can be expressed as a constant yearly rate, which is a simplification. Use it as a comparison tool, not as a forecast of what the same stock or strategy will keep earning year after year.

What this stock profit estimate does not cover

The calculator does not include taxes, wash-sale adjustments, foreign withholding, stock splits, DRIPs, margin financing, or slippage. It assumes the entered buy and sell prices are the actual executed prices and that all dividends are entered directly as cash received.

Use it as a realized-trade or planned-trade arithmetic tool only. If tax treatment matters, pair the result with a separate capital gains tax calculation and your own record of basis adjustments.

Further reading

FINRA — Stocks — High-trust investor overview of common-stock investing, dividends, and basic stock-market mechanics.
FINRA — Cost basis basics — High-trust investor guidance on basis tracking, reinvested distributions, and tax-record concepts.

Frequently asked questions

Why can total return differ from the stock's price return?

Because total return includes dividends received and fees paid, while simple price return only compares the entry and exit prices of the shares.

What if I leave the dates blank or invalid?

The calculator can still show total profit or loss, but it will not annualize the result unless a valid purchase date and later sale date are entered.

Does break-even sell price include dividends?

Yes. Dividends reduce the sell price needed to break even because they are part of the total return received from the trade.

Does this calculator include capital gains tax?

No. It shows pre-tax trade arithmetic only. If tax matters in your jurisdiction, the after-tax result can be materially different.

Also in Saving & Investing