Stock profit in plain arithmetic
A stock profit calculator answers a simple question: after I bought this position, am I ahead or behind, and by how much? Enter your cost basis—the total you paid to open the position—and the current market value or sale proceeds. The difference is profit or loss; divide that difference by cost basis to get a simple return percentage. People use this view before selling, when rebalancing, or when journaling a trade without opening a full portfolio spreadsheet.
What to include in each field
Cost basis should usually include purchase commissions if you want a realistic picture. Current value can be mark-to-market shares × price, or cash received after an exit. If you care about total return rather than price-only return, add cash dividends received into the current-value side. Fractional shares, DRIP lots, and multiple fills can be summed into one blended cost before you run the tool.
Taxes, fees, and wrappers (US / UK)
This page does not compute US short- versus long-term capital gains, wash-sale adjustments, UK CGT allowances, or ISA/pension sheltering. Those rules can turn a paper profit into a very different after-tax outcome. Use the calculator for a pre-tax snapshot, then apply your local rules—or an accountant—before you celebrate a large gain or harvest a loss. FX conversion for ADRs or overseas listings is also left to you: convert both legs into one currency first.
How this fits next to ROI and DCA tools
Profit on a single closed or marked position is not the same as a multi-year CAGR, and it is not the same as a dollar-cost-averaging schedule. When you need annualized performance, open the CAGR or compound views. When you are still building a position with recurring buys, the DCA calculator is the better planning frame. Internal links between these tools exist so a single ticker story does not get mistaken for a full plan.
Important limits
Past profit is not a forecast. Markets gap, spreads widen, and liquidity disappears in stress. Results are educational estimates processed on your device—not investment advice and not a brokerage blotter substitute. Re-run whenever price, fees, or your exit assumption changes.