FinToolSuite

Stock Profit and Loss Calculator

Updated April 17, 2026 · Investing · Educational use only ·

Profit or loss from a stock trade.

Calculate profit or loss from a stock trade including buy price, sell price, shares, and commissions. Shows net profit or loss from the values you enter.

What this tool does

Enter buy price, sell price, shares, and commissions. The tool shows net profit or loss.


Enter Values

Formula Used
Sell price
Buy price

Spotted something off?

Calculations, display, or translation — let us know.

Disclaimer

Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

100 shares bought 12, sold 15, 20 commission: (15-12) × 100 - 20 = 280 profit. 23.3% return on 1,200 cost. Commissions eat return especially on small trades — brokerage matters.

A worked example

Try the defaults: buy price of 12, sell price of 15, shares of 100, total commissions of 20. The tool returns 280.00. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.

What moves the number most

The result responds to Buy Price, Sell Price, Shares, and Total Commissions. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.

Why investors run this

Most people's intuition for compounding is wrong — not because the math is hard, but because linear thinking doesn't account for curves. Running numbers through a calculator like this one is the cheapest way to recalibrate that intuition before making an irreversible decision about contribution rate, asset mix, or retirement age.

What this doesn't capture

Steady-rate math ignores real-world volatility. Actual returns are lumpy; sequence-of-returns risk matters most in drawdown; fees and taxes drag on compound growth; and behaviour changes in drawdowns can reduce outcomes below the projection. Treat the number as one scenario, not a forecast.

What to calculate alongside this

One figure by itself is fragile. The equity return calculator, the total investment return calculator, and the stock profit calculator cover adjacent ground — the answer to any one of them changes how you read the output from this tool. Worth a few minutes each, honestly.

Example Scenario

Stock P&L produces a net figure based on the inputs provided.

Inputs

Buy Price:12 £
Sell Price:15 £
Shares:100
Total Commissions:20 £
Expected Result£280.00

This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.

Sources & Methodology

Methodology

Standard trade P&L.

Frequently Asked Questions

What else to subtract?
Dividend withholding tax, property transfer tax (0.5% on purchase), FX fees for foreign stocks.
Taxable?
Capital gains tax above annual allowance. tax-advantaged savings account-held stocks CGT-exempt.
Small trades worth it?
20 commission on 1,000 trade = 2% drag. Eats often first 5% of return. Trade larger amounts or use zero-commission brokers.
Still holding?
Use current market price as sell — shows unrealised P&L.

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