Quick answer
What is the break-even stock price formula?
For one purchase with flat fees, add the purchase value and Buy commission, add the expected Sell commission, subtract dividends, and divide by the number of shares sold. The calculator uses the same zero-profit solver for a full or partial sale.
- 1
Break-even sell price. The calculator solves $100.20 as the price that makes Net profit or loss equal zero after both fees.
- 2
Total cost basis. The purchase value and Buy commission produce a $10,010.00 basis.
- 3
Net proceeds. The entered $120 sale produces $11,990.00 after the Sell commission.
Flat-fee example
Break even at $100.20 per share
Buy 100 shares at $100, pay a $10 Buy commission, and expect a $10 Sell commission. No dividends are included.
Calculate the stock cost
100 shares x $100 = $10,000.
Add the buy fee
$10,000 + $10 = $10,010.
Recover the sell fee
$10,010 + $10 = $10,020.
Divide by shares sold
$10,020 / 100 = $100.20 per share.
Calculator result
The break-even sell price is $100.20
At $100.20, Gross sale value is $10,020. After the $10 Sell commission, Net proceeds equal the $10,010 cost basis, so Net profit or loss is $0.
- Purchase value
- $10,000.00
- Buy commission
- $10.00
- Sell commission
- $10.00
- Break-even price
- $100.20
- Net profit
- $0.00
| Scenario | Assigned basis | Sell cost or inflow | Break-even price |
|---|---|---|---|
| No fees or dividends | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| $10 buy and $10 sell fees | $10,010.00 | +$10 sell fee | $100.20 |
| $10 buy fee and 1% sell fee | $10,010.00 | 1% of gross sale | $101.11 |
| $10 fees and $200 dividends | $10,010.00 | +$10 fee - $200 dividends | $98.20 |
Variable sell cost
Percentage commissions change the denominator
A percentage Sell commission increases as the selling price increases, so it cannot be added as a fixed dollar amount.
With a Sell commission rate expressed as a decimal, the formula becomes: Break-even sell price = (Assigned cost basis - Dividends) / (Shares sold x (1 - Sell fee rate)). A rate of 100% or more cannot produce usable net sale proceeds and is rejected.
For a complete fee walkthrough, see the stock profit calculator with fees and commissions guide.
Scope of the result
Dividends can lower break-even, while lot basis can change it
For example, selling 40 of the 100 reference shares assigns 40% of the $10,010 total basis, or $4,004, to the sale. With a $10 flat Sell commission and no dividends, the partial-sale break-even is ($4,004 + $10) / 40 = $100.35 per share. The remaining $6,006 of basis stays with the other 60 shares.
Dividends
Dividends assigned to the calculation increase Net proceeds, so less sale value is needed to reach zero profit.
Partial sale
Break-even uses only the cost basis allocated to Shares sold, not the cost basis of the unsold position.
FIFO or LIFO
Different lots can carry different per-share basis, so the allocation method can produce a different break-even price.
Previous sales
Included previous sales consume shares and basis before the current break-even calculation is performed.
See Stock Profit With Dividends for the dividend workflow and FIFO vs LIFO Stock Sale Profit for lot allocation.
Two related calculations
Break-even is a zero-profit target price
Break-even and target sell price use the same underlying solver but answer different questions.
Break-even sell price
Sets target Net profit or loss to exactly $0.
Target profit price
Adds the desired dollar profit to the assigned cost basis before solving for price.
Target ROI price
Converts the desired percentage return into a dollar target based on assigned cost basis.
Required shares
Keeps the Sell price fixed and solves for the share quantity instead of the price.
Methodology and references
Use recorded costs for an accurate break-even estimate
Purchase price alone is not always the full basis of a position. Transaction costs and the actual shares included in the sale can change the result.
Ready to calculate your break-even sell price?
Use the Stock Profit Calculator