UNCY Straddle Strategy
UNCY (Unicycive Therapeutics, Inc.), in the Healthcare sector, (Biotechnology industry), listed on NASDAQ.
Unicycive Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in developing novel therapies for kidney diseases in the United States. It is developing Renazorb for treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease; and UNI 494, for treatment of acute kidney injury. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Los Altos, California.
UNCY (Unicycive Therapeutics, Inc.) trades in the Healthcare sector, specifically Biotechnology, with a market capitalization of approximately $182.9M, a beta of 1.77 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 3.71-11, average daily share volume of 517K, a public-listing history dating back to 2021, approximately 22 full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how UNCY stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.77 indicates UNCY has historically moved more than the broader market, amplifying both the directional payoff and the realized volatility relative to an index-equivalent position.
What is a straddle on UNCY?
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 UNCY snapshot
As of May 15, 2026, spot at $8.28, ATM IV 83.60%, expected move 23.97%. The straddle on UNCY 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 UNCY specifically: IV rank is unavailable in the current snapshot, so regime-based timing for UNCY is inferred from ATM IV at 83.60% alone, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 23.97% (roughly $1.98 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 UNCY expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on UNCY should anchor to the underlying notional of $8.28 per share and to the trader's directional view on UNCY stock.
UNCY straddle setup
The UNCY 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 UNCY near $8.28, 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 UNCY 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 UNCY shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $8.28 | N/A |
| Buy 1 | Put | $8.28 | N/A |
UNCY straddle 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
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.
UNCY straddle payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the straddle on UNCY. 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 straddle on UNCY
Straddles on UNCY are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy UNCY straddles ahead of earnings, FDA decisions, or other catalysts where the realized move is expected to exceed the implied move priced into the chain.
UNCY thesis for this straddle
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for UNCY extends from approximately $6.30 on the downside to $10.26 on the upside. A UNCY 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. As a Healthcare name, UNCY options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to UNCY-specific events.
UNCY 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. UNCY positions also carry Healthcare sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move UNCY alongside the broader basket even when UNCY-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current UNCY chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a straddle on UNCY?
- A straddle on UNCY is the straddle strategy applied to UNCY (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 UNCY stock trading near $8.28, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed UNCY chain strike and the premiums come straight from the end-of-day bid/ask midpoint.
- How are UNCY 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 UNCY straddle priced from the end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 83.60%), 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 UNCY straddle?
- The breakeven for the UNCY straddle 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 UNCY market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move is approximately 23.97%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a straddle on UNCY?
- Straddles on UNCY are pure-volatility plays that profit from large moves in either direction; traders typically buy UNCY 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 UNCY implied volatility affect this straddle?
- Current UNCY ATM IV is 83.60%; IV rank context is unavailable in the current snapshot.