SLP Butterfly Strategy
SLP (Simulations Plus, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Medical - Healthcare Information Services industry), listed on NASDAQ.
Simulations Plus, Inc. (SLP) is a worldwide developer of sophisticated software and services aimed at enhancing drug discovery and development processes. The company employs artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to create tools for modeling, simulation, and predicting molecular characteristics. Its operations are divided into four main business units: Simulations Plus, Cognigen, DILIsym, and Lixoft. Among its diverse software offerings are GastroPlus, which models the absorption and drug interactions of compounds in both human and animal subjects, as well as DDDPlus and MembranePlus for various simulations. The company also provides a range of products built on mechanistic and mathematical models, such as its quantitative systems pharmacology software like DILIsym, NAFLDsym, IPFsym, RENAsym, and MITOsym. Furthermore, Simulations Plus offers the ADMET Predictor, a chemistry-focused computer program that forecasts molecular properties from structural inputs, alongside MedChem Designer, MonolixSuite, and PKPlus for additional modeling and simulation needs.
SLP (Simulations Plus, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Medical - Healthcare Information Services, with a market capitalization of approximately $367.7M, a beta of 1.33 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 11.09-21.01, average daily share volume of 439K, a public-listing history dating back to 1997, approximately 243 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how SLP stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.33 indicates SLP has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position. SLP pays a dividend, which adjusts put-call parity and shifts the ex-dividend pricing across the listed chain.
What is a butterfly on SLP?
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 SLP snapshot
As of June 30, 2026, spot at $18.30, ATM IV 15.30%, IV rank 1.61%, expected move 4.39%. The butterfly on SLP 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 17-day expiry.
Why this butterfly structure on SLP specifically: SLP IV at 15.30% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a SLP butterfly, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 4.39% (roughly $0.80 on the underlying). The 17-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated SLP expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on SLP should anchor to the underlying notional of $18.30 per share and to the trader's directional view on SLP stock.
SLP butterfly setup
The SLP 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 SLP near $18.30, the first option leg uses a $17.39 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed SLP chain at a 17-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 SLP shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $17.39 | N/A |
| Sell 2 | Call | $18.30 | N/A |
| Buy 1 | Call | $19.22 | N/A |
SLP 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.
SLP butterfly payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the butterfly on SLP. 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 SLP
Butterflies on SLP are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect SLP 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.
SLP thesis for this butterfly
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for SLP extends from approximately $17.50 on the downside to $19.10 on the upside. A SLP long call butterfly is a pinning play: it pays maximum at the middle strike if SLP settles there at expiration, with the wing legs capping both the cost and the maximum loss to the net debit. Current SLP IV rank near 1.61% 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 SLP at 15.30%. As a Healthcare name, SLP options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to SLP-specific events.
SLP 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. SLP positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move SLP alongside the broader basket even when SLP-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current SLP chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a butterfly on SLP?
- A butterfly on SLP is the butterfly strategy applied to SLP (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 SLP stock trading near $18.30, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed SLP chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are SLP 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 SLP butterfly priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 15.30%), 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 SLP butterfly?
- The breakeven for the SLP 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 SLP market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 4.39%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a butterfly on SLP?
- Butterflies on SLP are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect SLP 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 SLP implied volatility affect this butterfly?
- SLP ATM IV is at 15.30% with IV rank near 1.61%, 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.