Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J) Expected Move

Expected move estimates the probable price range for a given period based on at-the-money options pricing. It reflects the market consensus for volatility over the selected timeframe.

Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J) operates in the Industrials sector, specifically the Engineering & Construction industry, with a market capitalization near $17.17B, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 47,000 people, carrying a beta of 0.67 to the broader market. Jacobs Solutions Inc. Led by Robert Pragada, public since 1980-03-17.

Snapshot as of Aug 14, 2026.

Spot Price
$144.51
Expected Move
6.9%
Implied High
$154.49
Implied Low
$134.53
Front DTE
35 days

As of Aug 14, 2026, Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J) has an expected move of 6.91%, a one-standard-deviation implied price range of roughly $134.53 to $154.49 from the current $144.51. Expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market's pricing of a ±1σ move. Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within this range under lognormal assumptions, though empirical markets have fatter tails.

J Strategy Sizing to the Expected Move

With Jacobs Solutions Inc. pricing an expected move of 6.91% from $144.51, risk-defined strategies sized to the implied range structurally target the modal outcome distribution. Iron condors with wings at the ±1σ expected move boundaries collect premium against the ~68% probability that spot stays inside the range under lognormal assumptions; strangles set wider at ±1.5σ or ±2σ target the tails but pay smaller per-trade premium. Long-vol structures (long straddles, ratio backspreads) profit when realized move exceeds the implied move, the inverse trade: they bet against the lognormal assumption itself, capitalizing on the empirically fatter equity-return tails.

How to read the J implied-range chart

The shaded range above shows the one-standard-deviation implied price band at each listed expiration, derived from ATM implied volatility scaled to days-to-expiration. The front-tenor expected move is 6.91%, anchoring an implied range of approximately $134.53 to $154.49. Under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside that band; 95% fall inside ±2σ; 99.7% inside ±3σ. The empirical equity-return distribution has fatter tails than lognormal, so true tail-outcome frequency is moderately higher than these closed-form numbers suggest.

J expected move and event pricing

Expected move widens with √time: a 5% 30-day move corresponds to roughly a 2.5% 7.5-day move and a 10% 120-day move. J term-structure is in contango (slope 0.021), so longer-dated tenors price in proportionally more vol than √time scaling alone would suggest - typically because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states. With IV rank at 21.1%, the implied move is at the low end of the typical J range - cheap optionality for buyers, thin premium for sellers.

Sizing J structures to the expected move

Iron condors with wings at ±1σ collect the modal-outcome premium; ±1.5σ widens probability of inside-range to ~87% but cuts collected premium roughly in half. Strangles do the inverse trade - they pay against the same lognormal distribution, profiting when realized exceeds implied. Calendar spreads bet on the slope of the term structure rather than the level. J put/call volume ratio currently at 0.22 indicates speculative call flow dominates - look for upside-skewed sentiment. The expected move is the inputs the chain is pricing, not a forecast - realized moves above or below are normal under any distribution.

Learn how expected move is reported and how to read the data →

J one-standard-deviation implied price range by days-to-expiration, with current spot marked as the midpointJ Implied Price Range by Expiration$120$130$140$150$160$17020d40d60d80d100d120d140dDays to ExpirationImplied Price Range ($)
Shaded band shows the ±1σ implied price range (~68% probability under lognormal assumptions) at each expiration; the center line marks current spot. Bands widen with longer DTE since volatility scales with √time.

Per-expiration expected move for J derived from ATM implied volatility at each listed expiration. Implied high/low bounds are computed as $144.51 × (1 ± expected move %). One standard-deviation range under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside.

ExpirationDTEATM IVExpected MoveImplied HighImplied Low
Aug 21, 2026733.6%4.7%$151.23$137.79
Sep 18, 20263524.1%7.5%$155.29$133.73
Oct 16, 20266326.2%10.9%$160.24$128.78
Dec 18, 202612628.5%16.7%$168.71$120.31
Jan 15, 202715428.9%18.8%$171.64$117.38

Frequently asked J expected move questions

What is the current J expected move?
As of Aug 14, 2026, Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J) has an expected move of 6.91% over the next 35 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $134.53 to $154.49 from the current $144.51. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.
What does the J expected move mean for traders?
Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within ±1 expected move and 95% within ±2 under lognormal assumptions, though equity returns have empirically fatter tails than log-normal predicts. Strategies sized to the expected move (iron condors at ±1σ, strangles at ±1.5σ) target the typical outcome distribution; strategies that profit from tail moves (long-vol structures, ratio backspreads) target the tails the lognormal model under-prices.
How is J expected move calculated?
The expected move displayed here is derived from at-the-money implied volatility scaled to the chosen tenor: expected move % is approximately ATM IV times sqrt(T / 365), where T is days to expiration. An equivalent straddle-based form: the ATM straddle (call + put at the same strike) is roughly sqrt(2/pi) times spot times IV times sqrt(T/365), so the implied one-standard-deviation move is approximately 1.25 times ATM straddle divided by spot. The two formulations agree once the sqrt(2/pi) constant is reconciled.