How are CRL 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 CRL straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 40.90%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$2,778.47 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a CRL straddle?

The breakeven for the CRL straddle priced on this page is roughly $252.15 and $307.85 at expiration, derived from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain's premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The CRL market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 11.73%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current CRL implied volatility affect this straddle?

CRL ATM IV is at 40.90% with IV rank near 15.91%, 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.

CRL Straddle Strategy

CRL (Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Medical - Diagnostics & Research industry), listed on NYSE.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. operates as a contract research organization (CRO), providing essential preclinical services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its core business revolves around assisting clients with drug discovery, non-clinical development, and thorough safety testing, with its services extending globally across the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Asia Pacific region. The company organizes its diverse offerings into three principal segments: Research Models and Services (RMS), Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA), and Manufacturing Solutions. 1. Research Models and Services (RMS): This division is a key supplier of high-quality rodent research models, including specially bred strains of rats and mice for experimental purposes. It also offers a comprehensive array of support services to help clients effectively utilize these models in their research and for the screening of potential non-clinical drug candidates. These include providing genetically engineered models, insourcing solutions for facility management, and diagnostic services for research animals. 2.

CRL (Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Medical - Diagnostics & Research, with a market capitalization of approximately $13.49B, a beta of 1.38 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 144.26-288.02, average daily share volume of 889K, a public-listing history dating back to 2000, approximately 19K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how CRL stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 1.38 indicates CRL 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 CRL?

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.

CRL snapshot

As of August 14, 2026, spot at $278.66, ATM IV 40.90%, IV rank 15.91%, expected move 11.73%. The straddle on CRL below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 35-day expiry.

Why this straddle structure on CRL specifically: CRL IV at 40.90% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a CRL straddle, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 11.73% (roughly $32.67 on the underlying). The 35-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated CRL expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on CRL should anchor to the underlying notional of $278.66 per share and to the trader's directional view on CRL stock.

CRL straddle setup

The CRL straddle below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With CRL at $278.66 on that close, the first option leg uses a $280.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed CRL chain at a 35-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 CRL shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$280.00	$13.85
Buy 1	Put	$280.00	$14.00

CRL straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$2,785.00
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$2,778.47
Breakeven(s): $252.15, $307.85
Risk / Reward Ratio: Unbounded

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.

CRL straddle payoff curve

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

P&L at expiration across the modeled underlying-price range. Green shading marks profitable regions, red shading marks loss regions. Dotted purple verticals mark breakevens; the solid dark vertical marks current spot.

Underlying Price	% From Spot	P&L at Expiration
$0.01	-100.0%	+$25,214.00
$61.62	-77.9%	+$19,052.78
$123.23	-55.8%	+$12,891.57
$184.85	-33.7%	+$6,730.35
$246.46	-11.6%	+$569.14
$308.07	+10.6%	+$22.08
$369.68	+32.7%	+$6,183.30
$431.30	+54.8%	+$12,344.51
$492.91	+76.9%	+$18,505.73
$554.52	+99.0%	+$24,666.94

When traders use straddle on CRL

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

CRL thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for CRL extends from approximately $245.99 on the downside to $311.33 on the upside. A CRL 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 CRL IV rank near 15.91% 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 CRL at 40.90%. As a Healthcare name, CRL options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to CRL-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on CRL?: A straddle on CRL is the straddle strategy applied to CRL (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 CRL stock at $278.66 on the August 14, 2026 close, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed CRL chain strike and the premiums come straight from that session's bid/ask midpoint.
How are CRL 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 CRL straddle priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 40.90%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$2,778.47 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a CRL straddle?: The breakeven for the CRL straddle priced on this page is roughly $252.15 and $307.85 at expiration, derived from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain's premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The CRL market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 11.73%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on CRL?: Straddles on CRL are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy CRL 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 CRL implied volatility affect this straddle?: CRL ATM IV is at 40.90% with IV rank near 15.91%, 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.