VSAT Butterfly Strategy
VSAT (Viasat, Inc.), in the Technology sector, (Communication Equipment industry), listed on NASDAQ.
Viasat, Inc. is a global innovator in broadband and communications technology, delivering its products and services worldwide. The company's operations are divided into two main segments. Its Satellite Services division provides satellite-based internet access and voice-over-IP for homes and businesses, offers in-flight entertainment systems and aviation software to airlines, and delivers community internet services. It also supplies mobile broadband solutions for marine vessels such as offshore energy ships, cruise liners, ferries, and private yachts, along with specialized energy services featuring ultra-secure IP connectivity, optimized applications, IoT data integration, and advanced machine learning analytics. The Commercial Networks segment focuses on developing and supplying both fixed and mobile broadband satellite communication systems, including their core infrastructure and ground terminals. This division also produces a range of antenna systems for terrestrial and satellite uses, encompassing earth imaging, remote sensing, and multi-band satellite communications.
VSAT (Viasat, Inc.) trades in the Technology sector, specifically Communication Equipment, with a market capitalization of approximately $12.02B, a beta of 1.73 versus the broader market, a 52-week range of 25.5-93.03, average daily share volume of 2.4M, a public-listing history dating back to 1996, approximately 7K full-time employees. These structural characteristics shape how VSAT stock options price implied volatility around earnings windows, capital events, and macro-driven sector rotations.
A beta of 1.73 indicates VSAT 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 butterfly on VSAT?
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.
VSAT snapshot
As of August 14, 2026, spot at $83.19, ATM IV 76.80%, IV rank 19.27%, expected move 22.02%. The butterfly on VSAT below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with strikes snapped to listed contracts and premiums pulled from the bid/ask midpoint at a 35-day expiry.
Why this butterfly structure on VSAT specifically: VSAT IV at 76.80% is on the cheap side of its 1-year range, which favors premium-buying structures like a VSAT butterfly, with a market-implied 1-standard-deviation move of approximately 22.02% (roughly $18.32 on the underlying). The 35-day window matched to the front-month expiry keeps theta exposure bounded while still capturing the post-snapshot move; longer-dated VSAT expiries trade a higher absolute premium for lower per-day decay. Position sizing on VSAT should anchor to the underlying notional of $83.19 per share and to the trader's directional view on VSAT stock.
VSAT butterfly setup
The VSAT butterfly below is built from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain, with each option leg priced at the bid/ask midpoint of its listed strike. With VSAT at $83.19 on that close, the first option leg uses a $80.00 strike; additional legs (when the strategy has them) anchor to spot-relative offsets. Premiums come from the bid/ask midpoint on the listed VSAT chain at a 35-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 VSAT shares for the stock leg in covered calls and collars).
| Action | Type | Strike / Basis | Premium (est) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buy 1 | Call | $80.00 | $9.50 |
| Sell 2 | Call | $85.00 | $7.05 |
| Buy 1 | Call | $85.00 | $7.05 |
VSAT butterfly risk and reward
- Net Premium / Debit
- -$245.00
- Max Profit (per contract)
- $255.00
- Max Loss (per contract)
- -$245.00
- Breakeven(s)
- $82.45
- Risk / Reward Ratio
- 1.041
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.
VSAT butterfly payoff curve
Modeled P&L at expiration across a range of underlying prices for the butterfly on VSAT. 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% | -$245.00 |
| $18.40 | -77.9% | -$245.00 |
| $36.80 | -55.8% | -$245.00 |
| $55.19 | -33.7% | -$245.00 |
| $73.58 | -11.6% | -$245.00 |
| $91.97 | +10.6% | +$255.00 |
| $110.37 | +32.7% | +$255.00 |
| $128.76 | +54.8% | +$255.00 |
| $147.15 | +76.9% | +$255.00 |
| $165.54 | +99.0% | +$255.00 |
When traders use butterfly on VSAT
Butterflies on VSAT are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect VSAT 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.
VSAT thesis for this butterfly
The market-implied 1-standard-deviation range for VSAT extends from approximately $64.87 on the downside to $101.51 on the upside. A VSAT long call butterfly is a pinning play: it pays maximum at the middle strike if VSAT settles there at expiration, with the wing legs capping both the cost and the maximum loss to the net debit. Current VSAT IV rank near 19.27% 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 VSAT at 76.80%. As a Technology name, VSAT options can move on sector-level news flow (peer earnings, regulatory updates, industry-specific macro data) in addition to VSAT-specific events.
VSAT 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. VSAT positions also carry Technology sector concentration risk; news flow inside the sector (peer earnings, regulatory shifts, supply-chain headlines) can move VSAT alongside the broader basket even when VSAT-specific fundamentals are unchanged. Always rebuild the position from current VSAT chain quotes before placing a trade.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a butterfly on VSAT?
- A butterfly on VSAT is the butterfly strategy applied to VSAT (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 VSAT stock at $83.19 on the August 14, 2026 close, the strikes shown on this page are snapped to the nearest listed VSAT chain strike and the premiums come straight from that session's bid/ask midpoint.
- How are VSAT 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 VSAT butterfly priced from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain at a 30-day expiry (ATM IV 76.80%), the computed maximum profit is $255.00 per contract and the computed maximum loss is -$245.00 per contract. Live intraday quotes will differ as the chain moves through the trading session.
- What is the breakeven for a VSAT butterfly?
- The breakeven for the VSAT butterfly priced on this page is roughly $82.45 at expiration, derived from the August 14, 2026 end-of-day chain's premiums. Breakeven is the underlying price at which the strategy's P&L crosses zero ignoring transaction costs and assignment risk. The VSAT market-implied 1-standard-deviation expected move in the same options snapshot is approximately 22.02%; if the move sits well outside the breakeven distance, the structure's risk-reward becomes correspondingly tighter.
- When should you consider a butterfly on VSAT?
- Butterflies on VSAT are pinning bets - traders use them when they expect VSAT 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 VSAT implied volatility affect this butterfly?
- VSAT ATM IV is at 76.80% with IV rank near 19.27%, 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.