Free calculator
Stock Profit Calculator
Enter your entry, exit and share count to get the net result of a trade after costs, in dollars, as a percentage, and as an R multiple so it can be compared against your other trades.
Net profit / loss
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Enter your trade to calculate.
- Gross P&L
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- Fees
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- Return on position
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- Position cost
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- R multiple
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Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored.
The calculation
For a long trade:
Net P&L = (Exit − Entry) × Shares − Fees
For a short trade the first bracket reverses, because you profit as price falls:
Net P&L = (Entry − Exit) × Shares − Fees
Why R multiples beat dollars
A $400 profit tells you almost nothing on its own. Was it a large position that barely moved, or a small one that ran a long way? Was it worth the risk you took?
R answers that. R is the amount you risked on the trade: the distance from entry to your original stop, times your share count. Expressing the result as a multiple of R makes every trade comparable:
- +2R: you made twice what you were risking.
- −1R: a normal, planned loss. The system working correctly.
- −2.5R: you lost more than planned. Something went wrong in execution rather than analysis.
Track results in R and a trading journal becomes genuinely useful. You can see whether your average is positive, whether your losses are staying near −1R, and whether your winners are big enough to pay for them.
Before the next trade, size it properly with the position size calculator and check the setup is worth taking with the risk/reward calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate profit on a stock trade?
Multiply the number of shares by the difference between your exit and entry price, then subtract your total commissions and fees. For a short trade the difference is reversed: entry price minus exit price.
Why is my percentage return different from my price change?
Commissions, fees and the spread are deducted from your return but do not appear in the price change. On small positions these costs can consume a meaningful share of a modest gain, which is why the net figure is the only one worth tracking.
How do I calculate profit on a short sale?
You profit when the price falls, so the calculation is (entry price minus exit price) times shares, less costs. The calculator handles this automatically when you select Short.
Does this include taxes?
No. Tax treatment depends on your country, your holding period and your account type, and applies when you realise the gain rather than at the trade itself. Treat the result here as your pre-tax net profit.
What is a good return per trade?
There is no single answer, and chasing a percentage per trade is the wrong frame. What matters is expectancy across many trades: your average result in R multiples. A trader averaging +0.2R per trade with consistent sizing will outperform one who occasionally makes 50% and gives it back.