AQST Straddle Strategy

AQST (Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic industry), listed on NASDAQ.

Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, focuses on identifying, developing, and commercializing various products to address unmet medical needs in the United States and internationally. The company markets Sympazan, an oral soluble film formulation of clobazam for the treatment of lennox-gastaut syndrome; Suboxone, a sublingual film formulation of buprenorphine and naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence; Zuplenz, an oral soluble film formulation of ondansetron for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and post-operative recovery; and Azstarys, a once-daily product for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The company's proprietary product candidates comprise Libervant, a buccal soluble film formulation of diazepam for the treatment of seizures; and Exservan, an oral soluble film formulation of riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Its proprietary pipeline of complex molecule products include AQST-108, a sublingual film formulation delivering systemic epinephrine for the treatment of conditions other than anaphylaxis; AQST-305, a sublingual film formulation of octreotide for the treatment of acromegaly; and AQST-109, an orally delivered epinephrine product candidate for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Further, the company develops KYNMOBI, a sublingual film formulation of apomorphine for the treatment of episodic off-periods in Parkinson's disease. Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Warren, New Jersey.

AQST (Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic, with a market capitalization of approximately $410.1M, a beta of 1.50 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 2.145-7.55, average daily share volume of 1.7M, a public-listing history dating back to 2018, approximately 142 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how AQST stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 1.50 indicates AQST has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position.

What is a straddle on AQST?

A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration.

Current AQST snapshot

As of May 15, 2026, spot at $4.22, ATM IV 61.10%, IV rank 10.42%, expected move 17.52%. The straddle on AQST 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 straddle structure on AQST specifically: AQST IV at 61.10% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a AQST straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 17.52% (roughly $0.74 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 AQST expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on AQST should anchor to the underlying notional of $4.22 per share and to the trader's directional view on AQST stock.

AQST straddle setup

The AQST straddle below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With AQST near $4.22, the first option leg uses a $4.22 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed AQST 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 AQST shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$4.22	N/A
Buy 1	Put	$4.22	N/A

AQST straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: N/A
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): Unbounded
Breakeven(s): None on modeled curve
Risk / Reward Ratio: N/A

Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit.

AQST straddle payoff curve

Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on AQST. 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.

When traders use straddle on AQST

Straddles on AQST are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy AQST straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.

AQST thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for AQST extends from approximately $3.48 on the downside to $4.96 on the upside. A AQST long straddle is a pure-volatility play: it profits when the underlying moves far enough from the strike in either direction to overcome the combined call plus put debit, regardless of direction. Current AQST IV rank near 10.42% sits in the lower third of its 1-year distribution, where IV often re-expands toward the mean; this favors premium-buying structures and disadvantages premium-selling structures on AQST at 61.10%. As a Healthcare name, AQST options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to AQST-specific events.

AQST straddle positions are structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium); 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. AQST positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move AQST alongside the broader basket even when AQST-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current AQST chain quotes before placing a trade.

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on AQST?: A straddle on AQST is the straddle strategy applied to AQST (stock). The strategy is structurally neutral / high-volatility (long premium): A long straddle buys an ATM call and an ATM put at the same strike, profiting from a large move in either direction; max loss equals the combined debit when the underlying pins to the strike at expiration. With AQST stock trading near $4.22, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed AQST chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are AQST straddle max profit and max loss calculated?: Upside max profit is unbounded; downside max profit is bounded at the strike minus the combined call plus put debit (reached at zero). Max loss equals the combined debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins to the strike). Two breakevens at strike plus debit and strike minus debit. For the AQST straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 61.10%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is unbounded per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a AQST straddle?: The breakeven for the AQST straddle priced on this page is no defined breakeven on the modeled curve 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 AQST market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 17.52%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on AQST?: Straddles on AQST are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy AQST straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
How does current AQST implied volatility affect this straddle?: AQST ATM IV is at 61.10% with IV rank near 10.42%, which is on the low end of its 1-year range. Premium-buying structures (long call, long put, debit spreads) are relatively cheap in this regime; premium-selling structures collect less credit per unit risk.