Stock Calculator: Calculate Profit or Loss

How this calculator works

Input a few key factors about your stock purchase to calculate your profit or loss, as well as your overall return.

• Number of shares: Individual stocks are purchased by the share. This field requires the number of shares you purchased.

• Purchase price per share: The share price you paid. For example, if you purchased a stock for $5 a share and you bought 10 shares, you would enter $5 here, not $50.

• Sell price per share: How much you sold the stock for, or how much you hope to sell the stock for if you're projecting a return on shares you still own. Again, this is per share: If you plan to sell those 10 shares for $10, enter $10 here, not $100.

• Commission to buy and sell: Most online brokers no longer charge a stock-trading commission. However, if yours did, enter the amount you paid on the purchase and the amount you paid to sell (or an estimate).

» Looking to cut costs? View the best brokers for free trading.

Once you've provided the above information, the calculator will display the following:

• Your total cost of purchase.

• The amount you will receive on the sale.

• The profit or loss.

• Your return on investment.

What isn't included in this calculation?

This is a simple stock calculator used to estimate how much you might profit or lose from a stock sale. If you want to get more detailed, you might also want to consider these factors that can affect your investment return.

Capital gains taxes

When you sell a stock or other investment for a profit, it is called a capital gain. (When you sell for a loss, it's a capital loss.) Capital gains are taxed at either short-term rates or long-term rates. To qualify for long-term rates, which are lower, you must hold the stock for more than a year before selling. If you sell within a year, it's considered a short-term capital gain, and you'll be taxed according to your ordinary income tax rate. (If you sell for a loss, you may be able to use that to offset your ordinary income.)

Dividends

Some stocks pay dividends, which are regular distributions of the company's profits to shareholders. If you're invested in dividend stocks, use our dividend calculator instead to get a more accurate result.

» View our list of high-dividend stocks

Inflation

Inflation is a measure of the average change in prices for goods and services over time. What does that have to do with your stock purchase? Because inflation erodes your purchasing power over time, a dollar in 1980 bought more than a dollar will buy in 2025. Because of that, inflation is often factored into investment and stock returns, especially if you're projecting a return and plan on holding the stock for a long time. For example, if inflation is 2% a year, your return is essentially reduced by 2% because the purchasing power of that money goes down by that amount every year.

Next steps

• Learn about how to buy and sell stocks.

• View the best-performing stocks right now.

• Check out our picks for the best brokers for stock trading.