Straddle options, also sometimes referred to as straddle features, are stock options that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase additional shares of stock at a predetermined price within a specified period. If you’re an equity analyst or investor looking to put money into promising new companies or understand the valuation and risk inherent in certain stocks, options can be an excellent way to do so. Straddle options have several benefits for both investors and companies issuing them. For investors, these benefits include a lower cost per option and the potential for greater returns with less risk. Companies issuing straddle options, offer flexibility when structuring compensation programs and aligning goals with shareholders.

What is a Straddle Option?

A straddle option is an option that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a specified quantity of stock at two different prices. This can be useful for investors who want to speculate on the future price of the stock but don’t want to commit to buying shares at a particular price. Straddle options also allow companies to hedge potential losses by spreading out the price of the initial investment over a smaller number of shares. For example, say an investor buys 100 shares of a company for $10 each. If the price of the stock increases to $20 within one year, the investor has the right to buy additional shares at $10 each (for a total of $2,000). If the price is lower, however, the investor will only be able to buy additional shares at $5 each.

Benefits of Straddle Options for Investors

Straddle options have several benefits for both investors and companies issuing them. For investors, these benefits include a lower cost per option and the potential for greater returns with less risk. The lower cost per option is because investors are buying both call and put options on the same underlying asset, which reduces the total cost. This is because the price of the call option is the same as the price of the put option, resulting in a cost savings of 50% when buying both call and put options. Since the cost of purchasing straddle options is lower, investors may want to consider whether there’s a significant enough return differential to justify the lower cost of entry.

Benefits of Straddle Options for Companies

Straddle options have several benefits for both investors and companies issuing them. For investors, these benefits include a lower cost per option and the potential for greater returns with less risk. The flexibility of straddle options helps companies avoid being locked into a specific payout structure if a payout model is significantly altered. This can be helpful when companies want to alter a payout structure in response to a financial event. The cost of issuing straddle options is lower than stock options, potentially saving companies money. For example, a company that issues 100,000 stock options at $20 per option will spend $2 million on stock options. If instead, the same company issues 10,000 straddle options at $10 per option, the cost comes out to $10 million, resulting in a cost savings of $2 million.

How Does a Straddle Option Work?

A straddle option works like a combination of two different options. The most common variation is where the holder bets on a rise or fall in the price of the underlying asset within one year. A second option is a call option that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy the underlying asset at a specified price within the specified period. In the case of a straddle option, the holder has the right to purchase 100 shares of stock at an initial price of $10 per share and has the right to purchase 100 shares of stock at an initial price of $25 per share. The holder’s risk is the same with both options, whereas the potential reward is greater with the $25 per share option because the price could go up by $25 instead of remaining at $20.

Disadvantages of Straddle Options

The main disadvantage of straddle options is that they are inherently risky and the holder’s profit or loss is based on the price movement of the underlying asset. Risk-averse investors may prefer to buy call options, which offer the potential for high profits if the price of the underlying asset goes up.

Explain EV to Equity Analyst with an Example: Imagine Company XYZ Shares

XYZ shares are trading at $20 per share, and the call option on XYZ is priced at $2 per share. The straddle option contract has the following characteristics: The call option has a 30-day time horizon and is exercisable at any time. The underlying asset is XYZ shares. The strike price of the call option is $20 and the expiry date is one year from the date of purchase. The underlying asset has a 50% chance of going up and a 50% chance of going down. The straddle option has a 30-day time horizon and is exercisable at any time. The underlying asset is XYZ shares. The strike price of the straddle option is $25 and the expiry date is one year from the date of purchase. The underlying asset has a 50% chance of going up and a 50% chance of going down.

Conclusion

The key to understanding and using straddle options is understanding the difference between call and put options. Call options grant the holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase the underlying asset at a predetermined price within a specified period. Put options grant the holder the right, but not the obligation, to sell the underlying asset at a predetermined price within a specified period. To calculate the potential risk-reward of a straddle option, you will need to know the probability of each outcome of the underlying asset.