i dont sell a stock until i dont believe in its value any more. Answer from Deleted User on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/investing › when to take your profit from a stock.
r/investing on Reddit: When to take your profit from a stock.
September 22, 2024 -

Securing profits is always something I’ve questioned myself on. Picking the proper timing, and/or the proper stocks to pull gains from. Generally, I start thinking about it once I hit a ~20% gain on a stock. Selling just to secure gains is the only reason I’d sell. I’d reinvest that money into another stock or investment. Just wondering what others do, especially with those long-hold stocks.

Appreciate everyone’s feedback, and sharing some knowledge. Some really good points made. Seems like to each their own when it comes down to it. Securing the gains is my dilemma; not dissolving all my shares in the stock. Having a rule for yourself takes the guesswork out of when to sell. Obviously we cannot predict the market, but holding for the sake of holding seems counterproductive to the goal of investing. That is making money, and using that money made.

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SoFi
sofi.com › learn › content › how-to-calculate-stock-profit
How to Calculate Stock Profit | SoFi
August 1, 2025 - It may help you to know what your gains and losses are so that you can gauge the winners and losers in your portfolio. Calculating stock profit also helps with tax planning and portfolio rebalancing. Calculating the dollar amount is relatively simple (you subtract the final selling price from the original purchase price, or vice versa). The formula for determining the percentage change is also straightforward:
Discussions

Do you have a sell percentage (gain or loss) that you stick to, and, if so, what is it?
I don't. Because what I paid for something doesn't have anything to do with the value right now. So if a stock has a huge runup, I decide whether I'd buy it again for its current price. If the answer is a definite "no," then I sell. If a stock gets hammered by some bad news, I try to assess whether the current value is right. If something fundamental has changed and I think the stock is worth less than the current price then I sell it and take the loss. If I think the stock is worth more than the current price then I will hold onto it. More on reddit.com
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February 7, 2018
When to take your profit from a stock.
i dont sell a stock until i dont believe in its value any more. More on reddit.com
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86
September 22, 2024
When do you take profits on your positions?
Never sell. Buy, borrow, die. More on reddit.com
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127
75
May 13, 2025
How do you know when to sell a stock? Especially a profitable one ?
I have two general answers to this. If you're trading: sell when it hits your target price. If you're long term: sell when the thesis changes or you find a significantly better investment and need the money. More on reddit.com
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January 1, 2024
People also ask

Why is it important to calculate stock profit?
Investing in stocks comes with a certain amount of risk. It may help you to know what your gains and losses are so that you can gauge the winners and losers in your portfolio. Calculating stock profit also helps with tax planning and portfolio rebalancing.
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sofi.com
sofi.com › learn › content › how-to-calculate-stock-profit
How to Calculate Stock Profit | SoFi
How Are You Taxed on Profit from a Stock?
You would start by subtracting the cost basis from the total proceeds to calculate what you’ve earned from a sale. If the proceeds are greater than the cost basis, you’ve made a profit, also known as a capital gain. At this point, the government will take a slice of the pie — you’ll owe taxes on any capital gains you make.
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sofi.com
sofi.com › learn › content › how-to-calculate-stock-profit
How to Calculate Stock Profit | SoFi
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Public
public.com › home › learn › how to know when to take profits
How to know when to sell your stocks? Easy way to calculate gains - Public.com
January 5, 2025 - For example, you may sell a position when it profits 20% to 25%. Once you reach this number, sell some or all of the position, or reevaluate your goals. On the other end, a “stop loss” helps minimize losses in a sharp downturn.
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Investopedia
investopedia.com › ask › answers › 05 › stockgainsandlosses.asp
How to Calculate Gain and Loss on a Stock
October 15, 2025 - You'll need the total amount of money you used to purchase your stock and the total value of your shares at the current price as well as any fees associated with your transactions. You stand to walk away with a profit of $90 if you bought 10 shares of Company X at $10 each and sold them for $20 each and incurred fees of $10: $200- $100- $10 = $90. This is just the dollar value and not the percentage change. Long-term gains or losses are realized when you sell a stock that you've held for more than a year.
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Fidelity
fidelity.com › learning-center › trading-investing › trading › managing-positions
Managing positions: When to cut and run, when to take profits
However, a rapid increase in a stock price does not necessarily suggest a stock should be sold. Sometimes a major move gets underway and you might want to exploit those opportunities. Just a few of these per year can often have a significant impact on the performance of your entire portfolio. Selling too soon can be almost as detrimental to long-term returns as money-losing trades. This is why it can be important to harvest gains and then set trailing stop losses.
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VectorVest
vectorvest.com › home › when to sell stocks to capture profits and avoid losses: introducing stop prices
When to Sell Stocks to Capture Profits and Avoid Losses: Introducing Stop Prices - VectorVest
November 26, 2024 - Now, before we get into actually ... to sell a portion of your stocks once you’ve reached a substantial profit margin, say 20-25%. This allows you to secure profits while still having skin in the game if the stock continues ...
Find elsewhere
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Bogleheads
bogleheads.org › wiki › Percentage_gain_and_loss
Percentage gain and loss - Bogleheads
October 16, 2025 - This means that you have ended up with 1% less than what you have started with. This is the same result as shown in Table 1 above. A 10% loss requires an 11% gain to break even. Adding a 10% loss followed by 10% gain results in no change (breaking even, or 0% = -10% + 10%), which is not correct. ...
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Quora
quora.com › What-percentage-gain-on-a-stock-means-it-s-time-to-sell-some-of-it-and-how-do-you-determine-how-much
What percentage gain on a stock means it’s time to sell some of it, and how do you determine how much? - Quora
If this is a stock that you are trading for monthly income, then ask again as the answer would be different. There is no specific gain where you should sell some of your stock. Example: in 2...
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Groww
groww.in › home › blog › stocks › how long should you hold a stock?
How Long Should you Hold a Stock - When to Sell a Stock
December 4, 2025 - In normal market conditions, booking profits when unrealized gains are more than 20-25% is considered a winning bet. However, you may consider exiting your open position if you think the stock has reached its uptrend potential.
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Merrill
ml.com › articles › when-to-sell-investments.html
Reasons to Sell a Stock (And Reasons to Hold)
July 1, 2024 - Selling an investment at a loss may be easier to accept when you know the loss can be used to offset capital gains and may reduce your tax bill. “But don’t sell an investment solely for tax reasons,” McGregor says. Even if the investment has hit a rough patch, consider its prospects and the role it plays in your portfolio. It may be a good idea to talk with both a tax professional and your financial advisor before selling. The share price of a stock shouldn’t be viewed in isolation when considering whether to sell.
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Investopedia
investopedia.com › articles › stocks › 07 › when_to_sell.asp
Your Investments: When To Sell and When To Hold
July 8, 2025 - Suddenly, you need money for an emergency, and the stock is trading at an all-time high of $25 per share. If you sell 50 shares, typically, the first year's shares at $10 per share would be sold. If you hold onto those shares, you can select which shares to sell when you do so. In other words, you can choose the shares you paid the most for ($20), which can lessen the amount of capital gain and, as a result, the amount of taxes paid.
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TSI Network
tsinetwork.ca › daily-advice › how-to-invest › stock-market-rules-of-thumb-four-year-rule-sell-half-rule
Stock Market Rules of Thumb: Four-Year Rule & Sell-Half Rule - The Successful Investor Inc
December 5, 2025 - Selling half of hot stocks that surge helps you guard your profits. But in general, apply this rule and other stock selling rules only to more aggressive stocks, and not to the well-established stocks that may surprise you by going a lot higher in the long run.
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U.S. Bank
usbank.com › investing › financial-perspectives › market-news › stock-market-under-trump.html
Stock Market Under the Trump Administration | U.S. Bank
19 hours ago - Since Inauguration Day in January, the S&P 500 Index climbed nearly 14% through December 2, compared to an 18% gain over the same period in 2017. Smaller company stock prices also increased during both periods, rising 10% and 15% respectively, ...
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Fidelity Bank
fidelitybanknc.com › calculators › stock calculator
Stock Profit Calculator — Fidelity Bank
December 27, 2024 - Use this calculator to determine results for stock transactions. Remember to convert fractions to decimals.
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Internal Revenue Service
irs.gov › taxtopics › tc409
Topic no. 409, Capital gains and losses | Internal Revenue Service
December 4, 2025 - However, a capital gains rate of ... than 20%: The taxable part of a gain from selling section 1202 qualified small business stock is taxed at a maximum 28% rate....
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NerdWallet
nerdwallet.com › investing › learn › selling-a-stock
How to sell stock: A 3-step guide for beginners - NerdWallet
You sell stock by placing an order with your broker. You fill out an order form that will ask what stock you want to sell, if you want to sell in shares or dollars, how much you want to sell, and if you want to sell via a market or limit order. Ideally, you'll be selling the stock after it has grown in value from when you bought it, locking in a profit.
Published   July 14, 2017
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The Motley Fool
fool.com › investing › how-to-invest › stocks › when-to-sell-stocks
When to Sell Stocks: 5 Reasons to Sell a Stock | The Motley Fool
May 14, 2025 - Similarly, it's usually a bad idea to sell a stock only because its price decreased, if none of the reasons listed above apply. Having said that, selling losing investments (especially if you see better opportunities elsewhere) can help you save money on your taxes. Investment losses can be used to offset capital gains.