Stock Profit Calculator: Net Gain or Loss After Fees

This stock profit calculator shows what a trade could earn or lose once fees are counted. Enter the price you paid, the price you sold at (or are thinking about), the number of shares, and any fees on each side, and it returns the net gain or loss, the return on your cost basis, and the sell price you would need just to break even.

How the Stock Profit Calculator Works

The calculator follows the order money actually moves in a trade. First it works out what the position cost, then what the sale brings in, then the difference:

• Cost Basis: Buy price × shares + buy fees.
• Net Proceeds: Sell price × shares − sell fees.
• Net Profit: Net proceeds − cost basis.
• Return: Net profit ÷ cost basis.

With the default example, 100 shares bought at $50 with a $5 fee cost $5,005. Selling at $65 with another $5 fee brings in $6,495, a net gain of $1,490. That is a return of about 29.77% on the cost basis. The gross gain before fees is $1,500, so fees took $10 off the result. These are Fin Loom calculations from the inputs shown.

Why Fees Change the Break-Even Price

A trade does not break even at the purchase price once fees are involved. The break-even sell price is the cost basis plus the sell fees, divided by the number of shares. In the default example, that works out to $50.10 a share, ten cents above the purchase price.

The effect is small on large trades and larger on small ones. A $10 round-trip cost is 0.2% of a $5,005 position but 2% of a $505 position, so the same fees push the break-even price further from the purchase price on a smaller trade.

Reading the Results

Net gain or loss is the headline figure after all fees. Gross gain or loss shows the price move alone. Return on cost basis expresses the net result as a percentage of everything you paid to buy, including fees. Net profit per share spreads the result across each share. A loss appears with a minus sign and is labeled as a loss, and the bar chart marks it with a hatched pattern, so the result never depends on color alone.

The breakdown table lists every step, from purchase cost to net proceeds, so you can check the arithmetic line by line.

What the Calculator Leaves Out

Taxes are not included. In the United States, a gain on a stock sale can be taxable, and the rate can depend on how long you held the shares and your income. Dividends you received while holding the shares are also not counted, even though they are part of the total return from owning a stock. The tax treatment of dividends is covered in qualified dividends.

The calculator also looks at a single purchase and a single sale. If you bought shares at several different prices, your cost basis depends on which shares you sell, and an average-cost calculation is a better starting point.

Using It Alongside Research

A profit figure describes a trade, not whether a company is worth owning. Price targets and exit points are only as useful as the analysis behind them, which is why stock analysis fundamentals such as revenue, margins, cash flow, and valuation still sit at the center of any decision. Fin Loom is an informational publication and does not recommend buying or selling any security.

More Fin Loom Calculators

This tool is part of Fin Loom's set of financial calculators and reference tools, which covers inflation, compound interest, investment growth, dividends, withdrawals, capital gains tax, and stock trades.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Calculate Profit on a Stock?

Subtract the cost basis (buy price times shares plus buy fees) from the net proceeds (sell price times shares minus sell fees). The result is the net gain or loss.

What Is the Break-Even Price for a Stock?

It is the sell price at which net proceeds equal the cost basis: cost basis plus sell fees, divided by the number of shares.

Does the Calculator Include Taxes?

No. Taxes on gains are not included because they depend on how long the shares were held, your income, and where you live.