How are NXST 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 NXST straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 36.30%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$1,681.42 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.

What is the breakeven for a NXST straddle?

The breakeven for the NXST straddle priced on this page is roughly $177.40 and $212.60 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 NXST market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 10.41%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.

How does current NXST implied volatility affect this straddle?

NXST ATM IV is at 36.30% with IV rank near 36.34%, 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.

NXST Straddle Strategy

NXST (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.), in the Communication Services sector, (Entertainment industry), listed on NASDAQ.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc., a television broadcasting and digital media company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and operation of television stations and interactive community websites and digital media services in the United States. The company offers free programming to television viewing audiences. As of December 31, 2020, it provided sales, programming, and other services through various local service agreements to 37 power television stations owned by independent third parties; and owned, operated, programmed, or provided sales and other services to 198 television stations. The company also offers video and display advertising platforms that are delivered locally or nationally through its own and various third party websites and mobile applications, as well as owns WGN America, a national general entertainment cable network. Its stations are affiliates of ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, The CW, MyNetworkTV, and other broadcast television networks. The company was formerly known as Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and changed its name to Nexstar Media Group, Inc. in January 2017.

NXST (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.) trades in the Communication Services sector, specifically Entertainment, with a market capitalization of approximately $5.98B, a trailing P/E of 36.07, a beta of 0.96 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 164-254.3, average daily share volume of 403K, a public-listing history dating back to 2003, approximately 12K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how NXST stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.

A beta of 0.96 places NXST roughly in line with broader market moves, so the strategy payoff and realized volatility track the index-equivalent baseline. The trailing P/E of 36.07 is on the rich side, which tends to correlate with higher earnings-window IV expansion as the market debates whether forward growth supports the multiple. NXST pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.

What is a straddle on NXST?

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 NXST snapshot

As of May 15, 2026, spot at $195.19, ATM IV 36.30%, IV rank 36.34%, expected move 10.41%. The straddle on NXST 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 NXST specifically: NXST IV at 36.30% 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 10.41% (roughly $20.31 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 NXST expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on NXST should anchor to the underlying notional of $195.19 per share and to the trader's directional view on NXST stock.

NXST straddle setup

The NXST 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 NXST near $195.19, the first option leg uses a $195.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed NXST 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 NXST shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).

Action	Type	Strike / Basis	Premium (est)
Buy 1	Call	$195.00	$8.95
Buy 1	Put	$195.00	$8.65

NXST straddle risk and reward

Net Premium / Debit: -$1,760.00
Max Profit (per contract): Unbounded
Max Loss (per contract): -$1,681.42
Breakeven(s): $177.40, $212.60
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.

NXST straddle payoff curve

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

Underlying Price	% From Spot	P&L at Expiration
$0.01	-100.0%	+$17,739.00
$43.17	-77.9%	+$13,423.35
$86.32	-55.8%	+$9,107.70
$129.48	-33.7%	+$4,792.06
$172.64	-11.6%	+$476.41
$215.79	+10.6%	+$319.24
$258.95	+32.7%	+$4,634.89
$302.11	+54.8%	+$8,950.54
$345.26	+76.9%	+$13,266.19
$388.42	+99.0%	+$17,581.83

When traders use straddle on NXST

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

NXST thesis for this straddle

The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for NXST extends from approximately $174.88 on the downside to $215.50 on the upside. A NXST 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 NXST IV rank near 36.34% is mid-range against its 1-year distribution, so the IV signal is neutral; the straddle thesis on NXST should anchor more to the directional view and the expected-move geometry. As a Communication Services name, NXST options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to NXST-specific events.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is a straddle on NXST?: A straddle on NXST is the straddle strategy applied to NXST (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 NXST stock trading near $195.19, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed NXST chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
How are NXST 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 NXST straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 36.30%), the computed maximum profit is unbounded per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$1,681.42 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
What is the breakeven for a NXST straddle?: The breakeven for the NXST straddle priced on this page is roughly $177.40 and $212.60 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 NXST market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 10.41%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
When should you consider a straddle on NXST?: Straddles on NXST are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy NXST 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 NXST implied volatility affect this straddle?: NXST ATM IV is at 36.30% with IV rank near 36.34%, 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.