EXEL Poor Man's Covered Call: Strike Selection, Premium & Risk
How to sell poor man's covered calls on Exelixis Inc. — optimal strikes, expected premium, and the risks that actually matter for a mid-cap healthcare name.
Is EXEL a good poor man's covered call candidate?
EXEL (Exelixis Inc.) is a mid-cap healthcare name with a low share price and fair options liquidity. Implied volatility is moderate — enough premium to make selling options worthwhile, without the heart-stopping price swings you get on speculative names. It pays no dividend, so every dollar of income must come from the options you sell.
Strike selection for a EXEL poor man's covered call
For a EXEL PMCC, buy a long-dated call with 0.80+ delta (typically 12-18 months out) as your synthetic long, then sell short-dated calls 5-8% above the stock price at 0.20-0.30 delta. The LEAPS tie up roughly 30-50% of the capital of buying 100 shares, which is especially valuable on a low share price ticker like EXEL.
Expected premium and income on EXEL
Typical monthly premium collected on EXEL runs around 1.0-2.0% of capital, which annualizes to roughly 12-24% if you sell new contracts every cycle. Capital required to run a single contract wheel on EXEL is under $5,000 — the share price and the 100-share lot size set the minimum, not the strategy.
Risk management for EXEL poor man's covered call trades
PMCC risk is concentrated at the LEAPS expiration: if the stock collapses, the long-dated call can lose significant value quickly. You also have to manage the short call not going deep in the money against you before your LEAPS appreciates equivalently. EXEL moves in a moderate-volatility range most of the time, but earnings week and sector rotations can still produce 5%+ single-day prints. Healthcare is exposed to FDA decisions, clinical trial readouts, and policy headlines that can gap the stock overnight. Pharma names need special care around PDUFA dates.
EXEL Poor Man's Covered Call FAQ
Can you run a poor man's covered call on EXEL?
Yes. Buy a 0.80+ delta LEAPS on EXEL dated 12-18 months out as your synthetic long, then sell short-dated calls 5-8% above the stock at 0.20-0.30 delta. Capital tied up drops from under $5,000 to roughly 30-50% of that — a meaningful improvement when the share price is a low share price.
What expiration should I use for EXEL poor man's covered call trades?
Use 30-45 DTE as a default for EXEL. This is the classic theta sweet spot and works well on a stable ticker like this.
Is EXEL suitable for beginners selling options?
Mostly yes, though beginners should use small size and confirm liquidity on each expiration they trade. Always check the bid/ask spread before entering — anything wider than 5% of the mid price is a warning sign.
Related EXEL strategies
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