# What will my stock trade make?

Works out the profit and return of a stock trade from the shares and the buy and sell prices, or the sell price for a target return or profit, or the shares for a target profit, with commissions.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/stock-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/stock-calculator.json
- Version: a8a5b07309fc

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Find the Profit, Number of shares 100, Buy price per share $50.00, Sell price per share $60.00, Commission to buy $0.00, Commission to sell $0.00): 100 shares bought at $50.00 and sold at $60.00 make $1,000.00, a 20% return.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| find | Find the | What to work out: the profit of a trade, the sell price that reaches a target, or the shares that make a target profit. |
| shares | Number of shares | How many shares are bought and sold. Fractional shares are fine. |
| buy | Buy price per share | The price paid for each share. |
| sell | Sell price per share | The price each share is sold for, or the price you expect. |
| goal | Target | Whether the target is a return in percent or a profit in dollars. |
| roi | Target return | The return you want, as a percent of the total cost. |
| profit | Target profit | The profit you want from the trade, in dollars. |
| buyfee | Commission to buy | Commissions and fees on the purchase, in dollars for the whole trade. |
| sellfee | Commission to sell | Commissions and fees on the sale, in dollars for the whole trade. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| sell | Sell price per share | The sell price that reaches the target, after both commissions. |
| shares | Shares needed | The number of shares that make the target profit at these prices. |
| profit | Profit | Net sale proceeds minus the total cost. Negative for a loss. |
| roi | Return | The profit as a percent of the total cost. |
| cost | Total cost | Shares × buy price + commission to buy. |
| proceeds | Net sale proceeds | Shares × sell price − commission to sell. |
| breakEven | Break-even sell price | The sell price per share with a profit of exactly $0: (total cost + commission to sell) ÷ shares. |

## Method

Profit = (shares × sell price − commission to sell) − (shares × buy price + commission to buy); return = profit ÷ (shares × buy price + commission to buy) × 100. For a target, the same equation is solved for the sell price or the shares.

## Assumptions

- Prices are what you type; nothing is looked up.
- Commissions are dollar amounts for the whole trade.
- Taxes and dividends are not included. This is an estimate, not investment advice.

## Worked examples

1. find = profit, shares = 100, buy = $50.00, sell = $60.00 gives profit = $1,000.00, roi = 20%, cost = $5,000.00, proceeds = $6,000.00, breakEven = $50.00. Source: IRS Publication 550: gain = amount realized minus basis (https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550).
2. find = sell, shares = 200, buy = $25.50, goal = roi, roi = 20%, buyfee = $5.00, sellfee = $5.00 gives sell = $30.66, profit = $1,021.00, roi = 20%, cost = $5,105.00, breakEven = $25.55. Source: IRS Publication 550, basis includes the commission to buy and the amount realized is net of the commission to sell (https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550).
3. find = sell, shares = 40, buy = $80.00, goal = profit, profit = $500.00, buyfee = $1.00, sellfee = $1.00 gives sell = $92.55, roi = 15.620119%, proceeds = $3,701.00. Source: IRS Publication 550, basis and amount realized (https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550).
4. find = shares, buy = $12.00, sell = $15.00, profit = $1,500.00 gives shares = 500, roi = 25%, cost = $6,000.00. Source: IRS Publication 550, gain on a sale (https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550).

## FAQ

### How do I use the stock calculator?

Choose what to find. For the profit, enter the shares, the buy price and the sell price: 100 shares bought at $50 and sold at $60 make $1,000, a 20% return. For a sell price, enter the shares, the buy price and a target return or profit. For the shares, enter the two prices and the profit you want.

### What sell price do I need for a 20% return?

Take the total cost (shares × buy price + commission to buy), add the target profit (20% of that cost) and the commission to sell, and divide by the shares. For 200 shares at $25.50 with $5 each way: cost $5,105, profit $1,021, sell price (5,105 + 1,021 + 5) ÷ 200 = $30.655, shown as $30.66.

### How many shares do I need to make a certain profit?

Divide the profit you want, plus both commissions, by the gain per share (sell price − buy price). To make $1,500 when a stock goes from $12 to $15, you need 1,500 ÷ 3 = 500 shares. If the sell price is not above the buy price, no number of shares makes a profit.

### Why is the return lower than the price change?

The return counts the commissions: the profit is after both commissions, and the cost includes the commission to buy. Without commissions the two are equal. The stock profit calculator also adds dividends, dates and the holding period.

### Does the calculator use real stock prices?

No. Every price is one you type, so it works for any stock, ETF or share on any exchange, and your numbers never leave the page.

### What is the break-even sell price?

It is the sell price at which the trade makes exactly $0 after both commissions: (total cost + commission to sell) ÷ shares. With no commissions it is the buy price.

## Sources

- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses: basis and amount realized. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p550
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov: Understanding fees. https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/getting-started/understanding-fees