Primary read
Bearish
Put-side pressure
Ticker Options Intelligence
LFCR options intelligence
Lifecore Biomedical Inc. options pressure, expected move, strike concentration, and Sharemaestro trend context.
Conviction
42
Market data through 11 Aug 2026
Checked 12 Aug 2026 14:23 · complete available chain
Put-side pressure
Bearish pressure
LFCR currently carries bearish options pressure with a 42/100 conviction score. The nearest-chain expected move is 21.4%, with volume/open-interest participation at 0.01.
Expected move
21.4%
Wider near-term move priced
Activity / OI
0.01
Current volume is quieter versus prior open interest
Put-call
1.82
Put-side skew
Trend fit
84
Options agree with trend context
Weekly backdrop
+13.3%
RS -32.4
Expected move
21.4%
Put-call volume
1.82
Volume / OI
0.01
Reference IV
1.29
Max pain
5.00
Underlying
5.01
Nearest expiry
21 Aug 2026
Contracts
36
Research Brief
LFCR has a bearish chain read with 42/100 evidence alignment.
The practical question is whether the underlying confirms the options concentration. The chain prices a reference range of 3.94–6.08; The largest call open-interest concentration is 7.50; the largest put concentration is 2.50. The most active strike by current volume is 2.50.
Priced range3.94–6.08
Call concentration7.50
Put concentration2.50
Max pain reference5.00
- Price remains weak while put-side concentration persists.
- The current chain read already agrees with the stored weekly trend context.
- Price recovers while put pressure fades or reverses toward calls.
- Front-expiry volatility is rich, so the signal may be event-driven and vulnerable to volatility compression.
Priced Move
Where the chain says movement becomes exceptional
Options imply 3.94 to 6.08. Max pain at 5.00 sits inside that range, 0.2% below spot.
Spot
Max pain
3.945.01 ± 1.076.08
Confirmation level
A close beyond 6.08 or below 3.94 at the 21 Aug expiry would exceed the move currently priced by this chain.
Important limitation
The range is a pricing reference, not a forecast; volatility can reprice sharply after news or as expiry approaches.
Score Construction
Why conviction is 42/100
Pressure is 21/100 toward puts; conviction uses its strength, while the signal label carries its direction.
Directional pressure21 × 42%
+8.8
How strongly activity leans toward calls or puts.
Participation8 × 22%
+1.7
Volume relative to existing open interest and contract-level activity.
Trend agreement84 × 26%
+21.8
How closely the chain read agrees with the underlying trend backdrop.
Volatility96 × 10%
+9.6
The intensity of implied volatility and the priced move.
Positioning by Strike
Where open interest and current activity concentrate
The largest call open-interest concentration is 7.50; the largest put concentration is 2.50. The most active strike by current volume is 2.50. Open-interest concentrations show where positions exist; they are not proven support, resistance or dealer exposure.
Put open interestStrikeCall open interest
17
2.50-50.1%
0
13
5.00-0.2%
26
0
7.5049.7%
94
0
10.0099.6%
0
Nearest spot strike Max pain strikeBars show relative OI within this expiry
Gamma Profile by Strike
Balanced gamma proxy
Call- and put-side gamma sensitivity is broadly balanced across the retained chain. Individual strike concentrations may still matter more than the chain-wide net.
Net profile-$2,596Delta change / 1% move
Positive peak7.50+$252
Negative peak5.00-$2,983
Nearest balance7.31Interpolated sign change
StrikeNegativePositiveNet / 1% move
2.50-50.1%
-$8
5.00-0.2%
-$2,983
7.5049.7%
+$252
10.0099.6%
+$143
Positive call-side proxy Negative put-side proxyHighlighted row is nearest spot strike
Scenario proxy = gamma × open interest × 100 shares × spot² × 1%. Calls are positive and puts negative by convention. Missing Greeks use a Black-Scholes estimate from stored IV with zero rate and dividend assumptions. Open interest does not reveal who is long or short, so this is not observed dealer positioning or a forecast.
Volatility Curve
Front-loaded volatility
Near-term options are materially richer than later expirations, consistent with concentrated event or immediate-risk pricing.
1.29
21 Aug
10d
0.80
18 Sep
38d
0.70
18 Dec
129d
0.70
19 Mar
220d
Volatility by Strike
Smile incomplete
There is not enough comparable OTM call and put volatility to classify the smile.
5
Put IV Call IV
Historical Replay
How matured reads behaved through expiry
Forward validation is building. The earliest eligible stored read expires 21 Aug 2026; its result will appear after the matched closing reference is stored.
Directional follow-through-
Moves contained by pricing-
Average expiry move-
Validation readiness
- Auditable calculationoriginal version retained
- Independent entryone read per market session
- Point-in-time referencerequired at entry
- Matched expiry closereported only after maturity
Eligible snapshots must have a dated market session, stored signal, and point-in-time market reference. Each observation uses one read per market session and the first stored weekly close on or immediately after expiry; its original calculation version is retained. It is an evidence audit, not an executable strategy or evidence of future performance.
Evidence Quality
Usable with limits
Retained chain100%
Implied volatility100%
Two-sided quotes100%
Open interest100%
- Chain status
- Complete available chain
- Market date
- 11 Aug 2026
- Calculation
- v2.0
- Contracts
- 36 / 36
- No material coverage gap was detected in the retained chain.
Aggregate chain data supports concentration, participation and pricing analysis. It does not identify trade aggressor, opening versus closing activity, multi-leg intent or dealer inventory.
Options Intent Radar
Put-heavy activity
Put-side activity dominates. This can reflect hedging or directional positioning, but the chain alone cannot distinguish buying from selling.
Put-side pressure is building while price is rising, a cautionary divergence.
Put-heavy activity matters because it connects the options headline to the actual evidence: $1,912 of estimated gross traded notional, puts · 91+ days · atm, and a bearish flow against rising price backdrop. Use it as a research priority signal, then validate the chart, liquidity, event calendar, and risk before acting.
Options pressure-21
1W price+13.3%
Call premium22%
Put premium78%
Notional split
C 22% / P 78%
Estimated gross traded notional uses volume × contract multiplier × midpoint, or last price when no valid midpoint is available.
Freshness
0.01
Volume divided by open interest across the visible chain.
Trend fit
84/100
Agreement between options pressure and Sharemaestro market context.
Aggregate chain data does not identify trade aggressor or opening versus closing activity; call/put concentration is not proof of market direction.
Puts · 91+ days · ATM
puts cluster with 10 contracts traded, $1,025 estimated gross traded notional, and 54% of visible notional.
$1,025
Puts · 22-45 days · ATM
puts cluster with 10 contracts traded, $475 estimated gross traded notional, and 25% of visible notional.
$475
Calls · 22-45 days · ATM
calls cluster with 11 contracts traded, $412 estimated gross traded notional, and 22% of visible notional.
$412
Setup Classification
Opportunity and risk frame
Positioning agrees with the Sharemaestro trend backdrop.
The tape is pricing or displaying unusually elevated activity.
Expected move or upcoming earnings makes the setup more event-sensitive.
Underlying price is close to the max-pain zone.
Put pressure is building after the stock has already moved below fair value.
Activity Anomaly
Normal range
Activity is broadly in line with recent stored snapshots.
Baseline: 10 completed sessions
Volume rank60th
Volume/OI rank60th
IV rank30th
Market Context
Underlying confirmation
Close5.01
1W+13.3%
RS-32.4
Fair value-23.0%
Options pressure-21
Speculation8
Volatility96
Trend fit84
Today Versus Normal
Stored-options context
30d avg 27.2% · 10 sessions
20th
90d avg - · 10/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 10/60 sessions
-
30d avg 1.44 · 10 sessions
30th
90d avg - · 10/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 10/60 sessions
-
30d avg - · 6/10 sessions
-
90d avg - · 6/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 6/60 sessions
-
30d avg 0.01 · 10 sessions
60th
90d avg - · 10/30 sessions
-
180d avg - · 10/60 sessions
-
Pressure Trail
Recent pressure and volatility
29 Jul 11:41
Volatility
Pressure -58
Move 24.2%
29 Jul 19:29
Volatility
Pressure -32
Move 28.3%
29 Jul 22:17
Volatility
Pressure -34
Move 28.3%
31 Jul 09:33
Volatility
Pressure -92
Move 33.5%
3 Aug 10:17
Volatility
Pressure 96
Move 30.5%
3 Aug 14:09
Mixed
Pressure -4
Move 32.2%
3 Aug 17:08
Volatility
Pressure -27
Move 32.2%
3 Aug 19:01
Volatility
Pressure -27
Move 32.2%
Strike Map
Where activity is clustering
Strike2.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 17
Strike5.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 26
Puts · V 0 · OI 13
Strike7.50
Calls · V 0 · OI 94
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Strike10.00
Calls · V 0 · OI 0
Puts · V 0 · OI 0
Term Structure
Expiration activity
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Contracts8
Avg IV1.29
Put-call-
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Contracts14
Avg IV0.80
Put-call0.91
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Contracts8
Avg IV0.70
Put-call-
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Contracts6
Avg IV0.70
Put-call-
Skew
Call/put IV balance
21 Aug 2026Put IV premium
Call IV1.30
Put IV2.01
Skew0.70
18 Sep 2026Put IV premium
Call IV0.67
Put IV1.03
Skew0.36
18 Dec 2026Put IV premium
Call IV0.36
Put IV0.76
Skew0.40
19 Mar 2027Put IV premium
Call IV0.27
Put IV0.67
Skew0.40
Contract Tape
Most active contracts
ContractLFCR260918C00005000
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike5.00
Volume11
OI534
IV0.72
ContractLFCR260918P00005000
SidePut
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike5.00
Volume10
OI320
IV0.62
ContractLFCR270319P00005000
SidePut
Expiry19 Mar 2027
Strike5.00
Volume10
OI11
IV0.67
ContractLFCR261218C00005000
SideCall
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike5.00
Volume-
OI532
IV0.73
ContractLFCR260918C00007500
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike7.50
Volume-
OI195
IV0.67
ContractLFCR260918C00010000
SideCall
Expiry18 Sep 2026
Strike10.00
Volume-
OI186
IV1.01
ContractLFCR260821C00007500
SideCall
Expiry21 Aug 2026
Strike7.50
Volume-
OI94
IV1.30
ContractLFCR261218P00005000
SidePut
Expiry18 Dec 2026
Strike5.00
Volume-
OI87
IV0.76
Research Graph
Related research and context
Sharemaestro research
Related News
No recent ticker-specific news yet.
Market Watch
No recent market-watch posts yet.
Earnings
No upcoming matched earnings event.
Plain English Guide
Options context
What usually looks constructive
What usually looks cautious
Options can move quickly and can lose value fast. Treat this as research context, not a buy or sell instruction.