A Cash-Secured Put Strategy
A (Agilent Technologies, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Medical - Diagnostics & Research industry), listed on NYSE.
Agilent Technologies, Inc. provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment provides arrays for DNA mutation detection, genotyping, gene copy number determination, identification of gene rearrangements, DNA methylation profiling, gene expression profiling, next generation sequencing, target enrichment and genetic data management, and interpretation support software; and produces synthesized oligonucleotide. It also offers immunohistochemistry in situ hybridization, and hematoxylin and eosin staining and special staining; consumables, and software for quality control analysis of nucleic acid samples; and reagents for use in turbidimetry and flow cytometry, as well as develops liquid-based pharmacodiagnostics. The Agilent CrossLab segment provides GC and LC columns, sample preparation products, custom chemistries, and laboratory instrument supplies; and startup, operational, training, compliance support, software as a service, asset management, and consultation services. The company markets its products through direct sales, distributors, resellers, manufacturer's representatives, and electronic commerce.
A (Agilent Technologies, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Medical - Diagnostics & Research, with a market capitalization of approximately $31.86B, a trailing P/E of 24.73, a beta of 1.22 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 107.07-160.27, average daily share volume of 2.3M, a public-listing history dating back to 1999, approximately 18K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how A stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.22 places A roughly in line with broader market moves, so the strategy payoff and realized volatility track the index-equivalent baseline. A pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.
What is a cash-secured put on A?
A cash-secured put sells an out-of-the-money put while holding cash equal to the strike-times-100 obligation, keeping the premium when the underlying stays above the strike.
Current A snapshot
As of May 15, 2026, spot at $111.79, ATM IV 39.90%, IV rank 84.09%, expected move 11.44%. The cash-secured put on A below is built from the same end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 34-day expiry.
Why this cash-secured put structure on A specifically: A IV at 39.90% is rich versus its 1-year range, which favors premium-selling structures like a A cash-secured put, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 11.44% (roughly $12.79 on the underlying). The 34-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated A expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on A should anchor to the underlying notional of $111.79 per share and to the trader's directional view on A stock.
A cash-secured put setup
The A cash-secured put below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With A near $111.79, the first option leg uses a $105.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed A chain at a 34-day expiry; the cross-strike IV skew is reflected directly in the per-leg values rather than approximated. Quantity sizing assumes one contract per option leg (or 100 A shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sell 1 | Put | $105.00 | $2.45 |
A cash-secured put risk and reward
- Net Premium / Debit
- +$245.00
- Max Profit (per contract)
- $245.00
- Max Loss (per contract)
- -$10,254.00
- Breakeven(s)
- $102.55
- Risk / Reward Ratio
- 0.024
Max profit equals premium times 100; max loss equals strike minus premium times 100 (at zero, assuming assignment). Breakeven is strike minus premium.
A cash-secured put payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the cash-secured put on A. Each row is one sampled price point from the computed payoff curve; the full curve uses 200 price points internally before being summarized into 10 rows here.
| Underlying Price | % From Spot | P&L at Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| $0.01 | -100.0% | -$10,254.00 |
| $24.73 | -77.9% | -$7,782.37 |
| $49.44 | -55.8% | -$5,310.74 |
| $74.16 | -33.7% | -$2,839.12 |
| $98.88 | -11.6% | -$367.49 |
| $123.59 | +10.6% | +$245.00 |
| $148.31 | +32.7% | +$245.00 |
| $173.02 | +54.8% | +$245.00 |
| $197.74 | +76.9% | +$245.00 |
| $222.46 | +99.0% | +$245.00 |
When traders use cash-secured put on A
Cash-secured puts on A earn premium while a trader waits to acquire A stock at a target strike below the current quote; most attractive when IV is rich and the trader is comfortable owning A.
A thesis for this cash-secured put
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for A extends from approximately $99.00 on the downside to $124.58 on the upside. A A cash-secured put lets a trader earn premium while waiting to acquire A at the strike price; the strategy is most attractive when the trader is comfortable holding the underlying at that level and IV is rich enough to compensate for the assignment risk. Current A IV rank near 84.09% sits in the upper third of its 1-year distribution, which historically reverts; this raises the bar for premium-buying structures and lowers it for premium-selling structures on A at 39.90%. As a Healthcare name, A options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to A-specific events.
A cash-secured put positions are structurally neutral to slightly bullish; the modeled P&L assumes European-style exercise at expiration and ignores early assignment, transaction costs, dividends paid before expiry on the stock leg (when present), and the bid-ask spread on the listed chain. A positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move A alongside the broader basket even when A-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Short-premium structures like a cash-secured put on A carry tail risk when realized volatility exceeds the implied move; review historical A earnings reactions and macro stress periods before sizing. Always rebuild the position from current A chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a cash-secured put on A?
- A cash-secured put on A is the cash-secured put strategy applied to A (stock). The strategy is structurally neutral to slightly bullish: A cash-secured put sells an out-of-the-money put while holding cash equal to the strike-times-100 obligation, keeping the premium when the underlying stays above the strike. With A stock trading near $111.79, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed A chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are A cash-secured put max profit and max loss calculated?
- Max profit equals premium times 100; max loss equals strike minus premium times 100 (at zero, assuming assignment). Breakeven is strike minus premium. For the A cash-secured put priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 39.90%), the computed maximum profit is $245.00 per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$10,254.00 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
- What is the breakeven for a A cash-secured put?
- The breakeven for the A cash-secured put priced on this page is roughly $102.55 at expiration, derived from end-of-day chain premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The current A market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 11.44%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a cash-secured put on A?
- Cash-secured puts on A earn premium while a trader waits to acquire A stock at a target strike below the current quote; most attractive when IV is rich and the trader is comfortable owning A.
- How does current A implied volatility affect this cash-secured put?
- A ATM IV is at 39.90% with IV rank near 84.09%, which is elevated relative to its 1-year range. Premium-selling structures (covered call, cash-secured put, iron condor) generally look more attractive when IV rank is high; premium-buying structures (long call, long put, debit spreads) are more expensive in that regime.