Stock Profit Calculator

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about calculating stock profit and return on TheDesperateTrader.

How do I calculate profit on a stock?

Profit equals your proceeds minus your cost. Multiply the number of shares by the sell price to get proceeds, multiply shares by the buy price to get cost, then subtract cost from proceeds. Subtract any commissions or fees. This calculator does it instantly and also shows your percentage return and breakeven price.

What is total return percentage?

Total return percentage is your dollar profit divided by your cost basis, times 100. If you bought 100 shares at 10 dollars (1,000 dollars) and sold at 12.50 (1,250 dollars), your profit is 250 dollars, a 25% return. It tells you how efficiently your capital worked, independent of position size.

What is the breakeven price?

The breakeven price is the sell price at which you neither make nor lose money after fees. It is your cost basis plus any exit fee, divided by your shares. Selling above breakeven is a profit; below it is a loss.

Does this include taxes?

No. This tool shows pre-tax profit and loss. Actual after-tax results depend on your holding period, cost basis method and tax bracket. Nothing here is tax or investment advice.

How do I find the trades in the first place?

Our free real-time scanner flags stocks the moment they move on unusual volume, across the whole U.S. market with no delay. Spot the move, size it with our position size calculator, then track your profit here. No credit card required.