Stock Profit, Return % & Break-Even Worked Examples

July 19, 2026

Four worked examples: a partial position sale, a dividend-offset paper loss, a break-even calculation with fees, and a wash-sale-adjusted repurchase basis.

Example 1 — Partial Sale of a Multi-Lot Position (FIFO)

Two purchase lots: 100 shares @ $30 (18 months ago), 100 shares @ $45 (4 months ago). Sell 100 shares at $52, paying $10 in fees.

Under FIFO, the oldest lot (100 @ $30) is treated as sold:

Cost Basis = 100 × $30 = $3,000
Proceeds = 100 × $52 = $5,200
Profit = $5,200 − $3,000 − $10 = $2,190
Return % = $2,190 ÷ $3,000 × 100 = 73%
Holding period = 18 months → long-term

See multiple buy lots & cost basis methods for how using specific identification of the newer lot instead would change both the profit figure and the holding-period category.

Example 2 — Dividend-Offset Paper Loss

Bought 200 shares at $35 ($7,000 cost basis). Sold at $32 ($6,400 proceeds). Paid $15 in fees. Received $180 in dividends during the holding period.

Price-only result = $6,400 − $7,000 − $15 = −$615
With dividends = −$615 + $180 = −$435

The dividend income cut the loss by roughly 30%, without changing the fact that the price itself declined — a common pattern with dividend-focused positions that dipped in price.

Example 3 — Break-Even Price With Fees on Both Sides

Bought 300 shares at $22, paying $8 in buy-side commission. No dividends received yet.

Cost Basis = 300 × $22 = $6,600
Break-Even Price = ($6,600 + $8 − $0) ÷ 300 = $6,608 ÷ 300 = $22.03

The break-even price sits 3 cents above the raw buy price — small on a $22 stock, but the same fee on a smaller position or a lower-priced stock can shift the break-even point by a more noticeable percentage. See common stock profit calculation mistakes for why assuming break-even equals the buy price is a frequent error.

Example 4 — Wash Sale Disallowed Loss Rolled Into New Basis

Sold 100 shares at a $1,500 loss on March 10. Bought 100 shares of the same stock on March 22 (within the 30-day window) at $48/share.

Original loss: $1,500 (disallowed for this tax year — wash sale)
New shares' raw cost basis: 100 × $48 = $4,800
Adjusted cost basis (loss added): $4,800 + $1,500 = $6,300

The $1,500 loss isn’t deductible this year, but it isn’t lost — it raises the cost basis of the new shares from $4,800 to $6,300, which will reduce the taxable gain (or increase the loss) whenever those shares are eventually sold. See tax-loss harvesting & the wash sale rule for the full mechanics.

Running These Yourself

Every profit, return percentage, and break-even figure above matches what the stock profit calculator produces directly from the same buy price, sell price, shares, fees, and dividend inputs — enter any real trade’s numbers to reproduce these results or work out a scenario not covered here.