STEM Cash-Secured Put Strategy
STEM (Stem, Inc.), in the Technology sector, (Software - Infrastructure industry), listed on NYSE.
Stem, Inc. operates as a digitally connected and intelligent energy storage network provider in the United States and internationally. It offers energy storage systems sourced from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company also provides Athena, an artificial intelligence platform, which offers battery hardware and software-enabled services to operate the energy storage systems. In addition, it offers system design and engineering services, supply chain management, energy storage value stream optimization, warranty and preventive maintenance plan management, operation and maintenance reporting, and program enrollment and incentive management services. The company serves commercial and industrial enterprises, independent power producers, renewable project developers, and utilities and grid operators. Stem, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
STEM (Stem, Inc.) trades in the Technology sector, specifically Software - Infrastructure, with a market capitalization of approximately $80.5M, a trailing P/E of 0.53, a beta of 1.52 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 5.925-32.23, average daily share volume of 160K, a public-listing history dating back to 2020, approximately 569 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how STEM stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.52 indicates STEM has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position. The trailing P/E of 0.53 is on the value side, where IV often compresses outside event windows because forward growth expectations are already discounted into the share price.
What is a cash-secured put on STEM?
A cash-secured put sells an out-of-the-money put while holding cash equal to the strike-times-100 obligation, keeping the premium when the underlying stays above the strike.
Current STEM snapshot
As of May 15, 2026, spot at $8.72, ATM IV 116.90%, IV rank 18.64%, expected move 33.51%. The cash-secured put on STEM 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 cash-secured put structure on STEM specifically: STEM IV at 116.90% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which means a premium-selling STEM cash-secured put collects less credit per unit of strike-width risk, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 33.51% (roughly $2.92 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 STEM expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on STEM should anchor to the underlying notional of $8.72 per share and to the trader's directional view on STEM stock.
STEM cash-secured put setup
The STEM cash-secured put below is built from the end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With STEM near $8.72, the first option leg uses a $8.28 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed STEM 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 STEM shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sell 1 | Put | $8.28 | N/A |
STEM cash-secured put 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 premium times 100; max loss equals strike minus premium times 100 (at zero, assuming assignment). Breakeven is strike minus premium.
STEM cash-secured put payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the cash-secured put on STEM. 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 cash-secured put on STEM
Cash-secured puts on STEM earn premium while a trader waits to acquire STEM stock at a target strike below the current quote; most attractive when IV is rich and the trader is comfortable owning STEM.
STEM thesis for this cash-secured put
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for STEM extends from approximately $5.80 on the downside to $11.64 on the upside. A STEM cash-secured put lets a trader earn premium while waiting to acquire STEM at the strike price; the strategy is most attractive when the trader is comfortable holding the underlying at that level and IV is rich enough to compensate for the assignment risk. Current STEM IV rank near 18.64% 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 STEM at 116.90%. As a Technology name, STEM options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to STEM-specific events.
STEM cash-secured put positions are structurally neutral to slightly bullish; 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. STEM positions also carry Technology sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move STEM alongside the broader basket even when STEM-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Short-premium structures like a cash-secured put on STEM carry tail risk when realized volatility exceeds the implied move; review historical STEM earnings reactions and macro stress periods before sizing. Always rebuild the position from current STEM chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a cash-secured put on STEM?
- A cash-secured put on STEM is the cash-secured put strategy applied to STEM (stock). The strategy is structurally neutral to slightly bullish: A cash-secured put sells an out-of-the-money put while holding cash equal to the strike-times-100 obligation, keeping the premium when the underlying stays above the strike. With STEM stock trading near $8.72, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed STEM chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are STEM cash-secured put max profit and max loss calculated?
- Max profit equals premium times 100; max loss equals strike minus premium times 100 (at zero, assuming assignment). Breakeven is strike minus premium. For the STEM cash-secured put priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 116.90%), 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 STEM cash-secured put?
- The breakeven for the STEM cash-secured put 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 STEM market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 33.51%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a cash-secured put on STEM?
- Cash-secured puts on STEM earn premium while a trader waits to acquire STEM stock at a target strike below the current quote; most attractive when IV is rich and the trader is comfortable owning STEM.
- How does current STEM implied volatility affect this cash-secured put?
- STEM ATM IV is at 116.90% with IV rank near 18.64%, 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.