KZR Butterfly Strategy
KZR (Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Biotechnology industry), listed on NASDAQ.
Kezar Life Sciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in immune-mediated diseases and cancer in the United States. The company's lead product candidate is KZR-616, a selective immunoproteasome inhibitor that is in Phase 2 clinical trials for various indications, including lupus nephritis, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis; and Phase 1b clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis. Its preclinical products include KZR-261, a novel first-in-class protein secretion inhibitor for the treatment of KZR-261; and KZR-TBD for the treatment of oncology and immunology. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in South San Francisco, California.
KZR (Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Biotechnology, with a market capitalization of approximately $53.9M, a beta of 0.41 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 3.53-7.55, average daily share volume of 88K, a public-listing history dating back to 2018, approximately 55 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how KZR stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 0.41 indicates KZR has historically moved less than the broader market, dampening realized volatility and producing tighter expected-move bands per unit of dollar exposure.
What is a butterfly on KZR?
A long call butterfly buys one lower-strike call, sells two ATM calls, and buys one higher-strike call, paying a small net debit for a defined-risk position that maxes out if the underlying pins the middle strike at expiration.
Current KZR snapshot
As of May 13, 2026, spot at $23.61, ATM IV 251.90%, IV rank 49.69%, expected move 72.22%. The butterfly on KZR 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 36-day expiry.
Why this butterfly structure on KZR specifically: KZR IV at 251.90% is mid-range versus its 1-year history, so strategy selection should anchor more to the directional thesis than to the IV regime, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 72.22% (roughly $17.05 on the underlying). The 36-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated KZR expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on KZR should anchor to the underlying notional of $23.61 per share and to the trader's directional view on KZR stock.
KZR butterfly setup
The KZR butterfly below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With KZR near $23.61, the first option leg uses a $22.43 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed KZR chain at a 36-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 KZR shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $22.43 | N/A |
| Sell 2 | Call | $23.61 | N/A |
| Buy 1 | Call | $24.79 | N/A |
KZR butterfly 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
Max profit equals the wing width minus net debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins the middle strike); max loss equals the net debit times 100. Two breakevens at lower-wing plus debit and upper-wing minus debit.
KZR butterfly payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the butterfly on KZR. 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 butterfly on KZR
Butterflies on KZR are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect KZR to settle near a specific level at expiration (often the prior close, a round number, or the max-pain strike) and want defined-risk exposure to that outcome.
KZR thesis for this butterfly
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for KZR extends from approximately $6.56 on the downside to $40.66 on the upside. A KZR long call butterfly is a pinning play: it pays maximum at the middle strike if KZR settles there at expiration, with the wing legs capping both the cost and the maximum loss to the net debit. Current KZR IV rank near 49.69% is mid-range against its 1-year distribution, so the IV signal is neutral; the butterfly thesis on KZR should anchor more to the directional view and the expected-move geometry. As a Healthcare name, KZR options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to KZR-specific events.
KZR butterfly positions are structurally neutral / pin (limited-risk, limited-reward); 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. KZR positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move KZR alongside the broader basket even when KZR-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current KZR chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a butterfly on KZR?
- A butterfly on KZR is the butterfly strategy applied to KZR (stock). The strategy is structurally neutral / pin (limited-risk, limited-reward): A long call butterfly buys one lower-strike call, sells two ATM calls, and buys one higher-strike call, paying a small net debit for a defined-risk position that maxes out if the underlying pins the middle strike at expiration. With KZR stock trading near $23.61, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed KZR chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are KZR butterfly max profit and max loss calculated?
- Max profit equals the wing width minus net debit times 100 (reached when the underlying pins the middle strike); max loss equals the net debit times 100. Two breakevens at lower-wing plus debit and upper-wing minus debit. For the KZR butterfly priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 251.90%), 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 KZR butterfly?
- The breakeven for the KZR butterfly 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 KZR market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 72.22%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a butterfly on KZR?
- Butterflies on KZR are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect KZR to settle near a specific level at expiration (often the prior close, a round number, or the max-pain strike) and want defined-risk exposure to that outcome.
- How does current KZR implied volatility affect this butterfly?
- KZR ATM IV is at 251.90% with IV rank near 49.69%, which is mid-range against its 1-year history. Strategy selection depends more on directional thesis and expected move than on a strong IV signal.