Stock Position Size Calculator
Know exactly how many shares to buy before you enter. Enter your account balance, risk percentage, entry price, and stop loss — the calculator returns your share count and total position value.
Results
Fill in the inputs to see your results.
Position sizing for stock traders
The classic stock trading risk model is fixed fractional sizing: risk the same small percentage of equity on every trade, and let the stop loss distance determine the share count. Shares = (account × risk %) ÷ (entry − stop). A $25,000 account risking 1% with a $2 stop buys 125 shares — whether the stock costs $20 or $200.
This decouples position size from stock price entirely. Expensive stocks don't mean bigger risk; wide stops mean smaller positions. Every trade carries the same dollar risk by construction.
Position value versus risk
Note the difference between the two numbers the calculator returns: the amount at risk (what you lose if stopped) and the position value (shares × entry — the capital deployed). A 1% risk trade can easily use 10–20% of the account as position value when the stop is tight. Both numbers matter: risk for survival, value for margin and concentration limits.
Frequently asked questions
How many shares should I buy per trade?
Shares = (account balance × risk %) ÷ (entry price − stop loss price). A $25,000 account at 1% risk with a $2 stop distance: $250 ÷ $2 = 125 shares.
What is fixed fractional position sizing?
It is risking a fixed percentage of account equity per trade — typically 0.5–2% — so position size scales with both account growth and stop distance. It is the standard risk model in systematic stock trading.
Can a position be larger than my account?
With a tight stop, the position value can exceed your cash — that requires margin. The calculator shows position value separately so you can check it against your available buying power.
How do I enter the result in MetaTrader?
MT4/MT5 volumes are in lots, and for stock CFDs the contract size per lot varies by broker (usually 1 share, sometimes 100). Check your symbol's 'Contract size' under Specification, enter it in the contract size field above, and use the 'MT volume (lots)' result row.