Is KTOS options pricing rich or cheap right now?

As of Jun 30, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) ATM IV is 70.5% against 20-day realized volatility of 82.4%. IV rank is 53.2%. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied: an inversion of the typical equity volatility risk premium that often precedes IV expansion.

What is the KTOS variance risk premium?

The variance risk premium is the persistent gap between implied and subsequently realized volatility. In equity markets it averages positive because option sellers demand compensation for bearing variance shocks. KTOS is currently pricing inverted to the historical pattern, which is one input to whether short-vol or long-vol structures carry their typical edge.

What does KTOS IV rank mean for strategy selection?

IV rank normalizes the current ATM IV to its 1-year range: 0% is the low, 100% is the high. KTOS's current rank of 53.2% signals where current pricing sits in its own 1-year history. High-rank regimes typically favor premium-selling structures (credit spreads, condors, covered calls); low-rank regimes typically favor premium-buying or long-volatility structures.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) IV/HV History

Comparing implied volatility to historical (realized) volatility reveals whether options are priced rich or cheap relative to actual price movement. Persistent gaps can signal trading opportunities.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) operates in the Industrials sector, specifically the Aerospace & Defense industry, with a market capitalization near $8.85B, listed on NASDAQ, employing roughly 4,000 people, carrying a beta of 1.03 to the broader market. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. Led by Eric DeMarco, public since 1999-11-05.

Snapshot as of Jun 30, 2026.

Spot Price: $49.72
ATM IV: 70.5%
HV 20-Day: 82.4%
HV 60-Day: 76.3%
IV Rank: 53.2%
IV Percentile: 52.8%

As of Jun 30, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) ATM implied volatility is 70.5%. 20-day realized volatility is 82.4%, producing an IV-HV spread of -11.9 vol points. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied, an inversion that can signal a pending IV expansion. IV rank is 53.2%.

How KTOS iv/hv history Data Feeds Strategy Selection

Strategy selection on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. options does not derive from any single metric in isolation. The iv/hv history view above sits inside a broader read: ATM IV currently sits at 70.5% and dealer gamma exposure is positive, so dealer hedging is mechanically mean-reverting. Combine the iv/hv history data here with the volatility-skew surface, dealer-gamma exposure, max-pain level, and upcoming-events calendar to build a positioning thesis. Risk-defined structures (credit spreads, debit spreads, iron condors) are usually safer than naked positions while the regime is uncertain; the data on this page anchors the inputs but does not by itself constitute a trade thesis.

How to read the KTOS IV vs HV chart

The dual-line chart above tracks ATM implied volatility (forward-looking, what the chain is pricing) against 20-day realized historical volatility (backward-looking, what actually happened). ATM IV currently prints at 70.5%, 53.2% IV rank, against 82.4% realized over the trailing 20 trading days. Implied is currently below realized by 11.9 vol points, an inverted regime where premium buyers are underpaying for the move - rare and often a setup for IV expansion. Persistent IV-above-HV is the variance-risk-premium-positive state typical of equity markets; persistent IV-below-HV is rare and usually marks underpriced vol that often expands.

KTOS IV/HV regimes and trade selection

KTOS IV rank at 53.2% sits mid-range - no structural edge from rank alone. Strategy choice should follow event calendar and the dealer-positioning read.

Using KTOS vol history alongside the term structure

The IV/HV gap on this page captures the level of premium; the term-structure slope on the volatility page captures its shape across expirations. Contango (positive slope 0.061) is the resting state - longer-dated IV trades above near-dated IV because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states. Pair the rank read with the slope read with the event calendar to choose the right tenor for the structure.

KTOS IV/HV signal in volatility-cycle context

Equity-vol cycles tend to compress and expand on multi-month timeframes: a typical sequence runs low-IV-rank consolidation (months of flat tape, decaying premium) into a vol-expansion catalyst (earnings miss, macro shock, regime change) into elevated-IV-rank stress (premiums fat, dispersion high) back to mean-reverting compression. KTOS's 53.2% IV rank places the ticker in the mid-range of its 1-year window - no strong cycle-position signal. The ratio of HV-20 (82.4%) to HV-60 (76.3%) gives a second cycle indicator: when 20-day exceeds 60-day, recent realization is running hotter than the trailing-quarter average - typically a sign that recent days have already started expanding vol regardless of where IV rank prints. Use the time series above to spot inflection points: meaningful IV/HV gap closures and openings tend to precede regime shifts by a few sessions.

Learn how implied vs realized volatility is reported and how to read the data →

Daily ATM implied volatility and 20-day realized (historical) volatility for KTOS over the last ~31 trading days. The IV-HV gap measures the variance risk premium - when IV trades persistently above realized HV, premium-sellers earn the spread; when IV dips below HV, vol is structurally underpriced.

Daily values from end-of-day option_ticker_snapshots. Series sparse on illiquid tickers reflects gaps in the upstream end-of-day options data feed.

Most recent 15 trading days (descending). Older history appears in the chart above.

Date	ATM IV	HV 20d	HV 60d	IV Rank
Jun 30, 2026	70.5%	82.4%	76.3%	53.2%
Jun 29, 2026	70.0%	80.0%	75.6%	52.1%
Jun 26, 2026	69.0%	80.4%	75.8%	50.0%
Jun 25, 2026	69.5%	82.5%	75.5%	51.1%
Jun 24, 2026	70.8%	81.9%	75.3%	53.9%
Jun 22, 2026	71.5%	80.3%	74.8%	55.3%
Jun 18, 2026	68.3%	78.5%	75.4%	48.7%
Jun 17, 2026	68.7%	82.0%	75.3%	49.5%
Jun 11, 2026	71.0%	82.0%	75.4%	54.2%
Jun 10, 2026	72.7%	79.3%	73.8%	57.8%
Jun 9, 2026	74.2%	79.1%	73.8%	60.9%
Jun 8, 2026	75.2%	80.7%	74.7%	64.1%
Jun 5, 2026	72.3%	81.1%	75.6%	58.3%
Jun 4, 2026	81.4%	76.3%	74.2%	76.6%
May 28, 2026	76.8%	75.7%	74.0%	69.0%

KTOS highest implied-volatility contracts

Type	Strike	Expiration	Volume	OI	IV	Bid	Ask
CALL	$54.00	Jul 2, 2026	689	107	86.2%	$0.10	$0.20

Top 1 contracts from the institutional-grade nightly options scan; ranked by iv within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.

Frequently asked KTOS iv/hv history questions

Is KTOS options pricing rich or cheap right now?: As of Jun 30, 2026, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS) ATM IV is 70.5% against 20-day realized volatility of 82.4%. IV rank is 53.2%. Realized volatility currently exceeds implied: an inversion of the typical equity volatility risk premium that often precedes IV expansion.
What is the KTOS variance risk premium?: The variance risk premium is the persistent gap between implied and subsequently realized volatility. In equity markets it averages positive because option sellers demand compensation for bearing variance shocks. KTOS is currently pricing inverted to the historical pattern, which is one input to whether short-vol or long-vol structures carry their typical edge.
What does KTOS IV rank mean for strategy selection?: IV rank normalizes the current ATM IV to its 1-year range: 0% is the low, 100% is the high. KTOS's current rank of 53.2% signals where current pricing sits in its own 1-year history. High-rank regimes typically favor premium-selling structures (credit spreads, condors, covered calls); low-rank regimes typically favor premium-buying or long-volatility structures.