ARQT Straddle Strategy
ARQT (Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Biotechnology industry), listed on NASDAQ.
Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing treatments for dermatological diseases. Its lead product candidate is ARQ-151, a topical roflumilast cream that has completed Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. The company is also developing ARQ-154, a topical foam formulation of roflumilast for the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis; ARQ-252, a selective topical janus kinase type 1 inhibitor for hand eczema and vitiligo; and ARQ-255, a topical formulation of ARQ-252 designed to reach deeper into the skin in order to treat alopecia areata. The company was formerly known as Arcutis, Inc. and changed its name to Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. in October 2019. Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Westlake Village, California.
ARQT (Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Biotechnology, with a market capitalization of approximately $2.71B, a beta of 1.59 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 12.72-31.77, average daily share volume of 1.5M, a public-listing history dating back to 2020, approximately 342 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how ARQT stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.59 indicates ARQT 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 ARQT?
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 ARQT snapshot
As of May 15, 2026, spot at $21.48, ATM IV 53.60%, IV rank 18.78%, expected move 15.37%. The straddle on ARQT 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 ARQT specifically: ARQT IV at 53.60% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a ARQT straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 15.37% (roughly $3.30 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 ARQT expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on ARQT should anchor to the underlying notional of $21.48 per share and to the trader's directional view on ARQT stock.
ARQT straddle setup
The ARQT 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 ARQT near $21.48, the first option leg uses a $21.48 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed ARQT 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 ARQT shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $21.48 | N/A |
| Buy 1 | Put | $21.48 | N/A |
ARQT 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.
ARQT straddle payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on ARQT. 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 ARQT
Straddles on ARQT are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy ARQT straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
ARQT thesis for this straddle
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for ARQT extends from approximately $18.18 on the downside to $24.78 on the upside. A ARQT 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 ARQT IV rank near 18.78% 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 ARQT at 53.60%. As a Healthcare name, ARQT options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to ARQT-specific events.
ARQT 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. ARQT positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move ARQT alongside the broader basket even when ARQT-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current ARQT chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a straddle on ARQT?
- A straddle on ARQT is the straddle strategy applied to ARQT (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 ARQT stock trading near $21.48, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed ARQT chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are ARQT 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 ARQT straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 53.60%), 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 ARQT straddle?
- The breakeven for the ARQT 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 ARQT market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 15.37%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a straddle on ARQT?
- Straddles on ARQT are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy ARQT 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 ARQT implied volatility affect this straddle?
- ARQT ATM IV is at 53.60% with IV rank near 18.78%, 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.