Investor Tool

Stock Return Calculator

Work out the capital gain, percentage return, and total profit or loss on a stock position.

Stock Return Calculator

Work out the gain or loss on a single stock position. Enter the number of shares, your buy and sell prices, and any dividends received to see your total profit or loss, your percentage return, and how cost basis, capital gain, and dividends combine. The result describes one trade and is a pre-tax, pre-fee figure for education, not advice. It fetches no live data and everything stays in your browser.

Number of Shares

Buy Price Per Share

Sell Price Per Share

Total Dividends Received

Enter your stock trade details to calculate your return.

How this is worked out

What it measures: This tool measures the return on a single completed or hypothetical trade: the number of shares times the difference between your sell and buy prices, plus any dividends you enter. It is a point-in-time calculation, not a projection.

Percentages: The percentage return is your total gain or loss divided by your cost basis, where cost basis is shares times buy price. Dividends, if entered, are added to the gain before the percentage is worked out.

Not modeled: Trading commissions, bid-ask spreads, and taxes such as capital gains tax are not included, so a real after-tax result may be lower. Currency effects are not modeled either.

Past, not future: A return on one trade describes what already happened. It is not a forecast, and a single result does not measure the risk taken to reach it.

Common questions about stock returns

How do I calculate the return on a stock?

Total return is the value at sale minus what you paid, plus any dividends received. As a percentage, it is that total divided by your cost basis (shares times buy price). This tool works out both once you enter the numbers.

What is cost basis?

Cost basis is the total amount you paid for the shares, which is the number of shares times the buy price per share. Your percentage return is measured against this figure. Brokers may adjust cost basis for fees or wash sales, which this tool does not model.

Are dividends included in the return?

Yes, if you enter them. The total dividends field is added to your price gain or loss to show total return. Leaving it blank measures price return only.

Does this account for taxes and fees?

No. The result is a pre-tax, pre-fee figure. Real proceeds can be lower after commissions and capital gains tax, which depend on your account type, holding period, and location.

What counts as a good return?

There is no fixed answer, and a return only means something alongside the risk taken and the time held. A large gain on a single trade is not a strategy, and past results do not predict future ones.

Is this calculator financial advice?

No. It is an educational tool for working out the math on a buy and a sell. It does not recommend any security and is not financial advice.

These results are estimates, not predictions. They are based on the inputs you provide and assumed rates of return, which are not guaranteed. Real markets rise and fall every year. For educational purposes only, not financial advice.

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