Stock Profit Calculator
Calculate profit on a share trade after commission and dividends, with ROI and annualised return.
Share trade profit is the sale proceeds less the purchase cost, adjusted for commission on both sides and any dividends received while holding. This stock profit calculator works through each of those adjustments and shows what is left.
Formula: net profit = (proceeds − commission) − (cost + commission) + dividends
Your figures
Per share.
Per share.
Optional — adds an annualised return.
Flat charge on the purchase, from your own statement — the default is a round illustration. Zero is fine for a commission-free account.
Flat charge on the sale, as above.
Total received across all shares while holding.
Results
Net profit
+US$1,900.00
+37.92% return on cost
- Total cost
- US$5,010.00
- Net proceeds
- US$6,790.00
- Capital gain
- +US$1,780.00
- Dividends received
- US$120.00
- Total commission
- US$20.00
- Annualised returnThe constant yearly rate that produces this total return.
- +17.44%
- Price return
- +36.00%
- Break-even sell pricePrice at which the trade nets zero after commission and dividends.
- US$24.50
What this means
200 shares bought at US$25.00 and sold at US$34.00 produced +US$1,900.00, a +37.92% return on the total cost. Spread over the holding period that is +17.44% a year.
- Excludes tax. Capital gains and dividends are usually taxed at different rates.
Net profit: +US$1,900.00
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About the Stock Profit calculation
Used as a stock return calculator it goes past the cash figure to the return on cost and — if you supply a holding period — the annualised equivalent, which is what makes trades of different lengths comparable.
It also returns the break-even sale price: the price at which the trade nets exactly zero once commission and dividends are accounted for.
Stock Profit formula
total cost = (shares × buy price) + buy commission
total proceeds = (shares × sell price) − sell commission
capital gain = total proceeds − total cost
net profit = capital gain + dividends received
ROI = net profit ÷ total cost × 100
annualised return = ((1 + ROI ÷ 100) ^ (1 ÷ years) − 1) × 100- commission
- A flat charge per trade, applied on both the purchase and the sale.
- annualised return
- The constant yearly rate that would compound to the same total return.
Commission is added to the cost on the way in and subtracted from the proceeds on the way out, so it reduces the result twice.
Dividends are added to the net profit because they are cash received from holding the shares, even though they are not part of the capital gain.
Annualising uses compounding rather than dividing the total return by the number of years. A 100% return over three years is about 26% a year compounded, not 33%, because each year's gain builds on the last.
Stock Profit: a worked example
Buying 200 shares at $25 and selling at $34 two years later, with $10 commission on each trade and $120 of dividends received.
- Total cost(200 × 25) + 10 = $5,010
- Total proceeds(200 × 34) − 10 = $6,790
- Capital gain6,790 − 5,010 = $1,780
- Net profit1,780 + 120 = $1,900
- ROI1,900 ÷ 5,010 = 37.92%
- Annualised(1.3792 ^ 0.5) − 1 = 17.44%
A net profit of $1,900, a 37.92% return on cost, equivalent to 17.44% a year over the two-year holding period.
How to use the Stock Profit calculator
- Enter the buy price, the sell price and the number of shares into the share profit calculator.
- Add the commission charged on each side. Enter zero if your platform is commission-free.
- Add any dividends received across the whole holding, not per share.
- Optionally enter the holding period in years to get the annualised return. Six months is 0.5.
Limitations of the Stock Profit calculator
Every calculation makes assumptions. These are the ones that matter here.
- Excludes tax. Capital gains and dividends are usually taxed at different rates, and allowances differ by jurisdiction.
- Excludes any transaction tax on the purchase. Several jurisdictions charge one and many do not: the UK levies stamp duty or SDRT at 0.5% on buys of UK shares, Ireland charges 1%, France and Italy apply a financial transaction tax to large issuers, Hong Kong charges stamp duty on both sides, and the United States has no such charge. Check what applies where the shares are listed.
- Assumes a single purchase and a single sale. For a position built in pieces, calculate the average cost first.
- Ignores currency movement on foreign shares, which can be a substantial part of the return.
Frequently asked questions about Stock Profit
Why annualise the return?
So that trades of different lengths can be compared. A 20% gain over six months and a 20% gain over five years are very different outcomes; annualising puts both on a per-year basis.
Is share trade profit the same as the capital gain?
Not quite. The capital gain is the price difference once commission on both legs is taken out. The profit figure here adds any dividends received while the position was open, so the two separate whenever the holding paid income.
Why does a stock gain calculator subtract commission twice?
Because a round trip pays it twice. The charge on the purchase raises the cost basis, and the charge on the sale reduces the proceeds, so the gain falls by the total of both legs rather than by one of them.
Should dividends be included in the return?
For total return, yes — dividends are cash received from holding the shares. Price return alone excludes them, and both figures are shown.
What is the break-even price?
The sale price at which the trade nets exactly zero once commission is paid and any dividends received are credited. It sits above the buy price unless the dividends exceed the total commission.
Does this account for stamp duty?
Not separately, because whether one applies at all depends on where the shares are listed rather than on the arithmetic. UK share purchases attract stamp duty or SDRT at 0.5%; US-listed shares attract nothing equivalent. Where a charge does apply, add it to the buy commission — or work it out on the transaction tax calculator first, which handles the UK rounding rule.
Last reviewed . See our methodology and editorial policy.
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