Options/STEP

STEPStepStone Group Inc. Class A Common Stock

Options Analysis Report•INVESTMENT ADVICE

Market Cap $4.1B|NASDAQ

● 2026-08-31$50.32

VERY BULLISH

Analysis: 2026-08-28 EOD data

1Y -17.6%YTD -24.5%7D +2.3%

Options Vol

682

30D

Implied Move

±16.4%

IV Rank

19%

STEP Options Overview

IV is elevated with bullish flow and unusual activity. No clear edge detected.

REWARDS

RISK ANALYSIS

Snowflake Analysis

Balanced conditions with no clear edge

Learn

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STEP Gamma Walls

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Value

Is IV priced right?

4.5

ExpensiveCheap

Measures whether options are cheap, fair, or rich relative to historical and peer

levels.

Risk Checks4/9 checks passed

IV Rank

≤35%

IV Rank 81.3% — elevated vs history

IV/HV Ratio

<1.05x

IV/HV 0.92x — IV ≤ HV

Sector Relative≤50%

Sector percentile 89% — above sector median

Term Structure

<1.1x

Front/Back 1.05x — flat

Skew Normal

<1.25x

Put/Call IV 1.16x — elevated

Absolute IV

<80%

ATM IV 56.7% — normal range

Spread-Adjusted Value

<80%

Effective IV 102.4% (ATM 56.7% + spread 22.9% + bias) — expensive

Execution Efficiency

<3.0%

Total drag 35.89% (spread 22.86% + slippage 13.03%) — high friction

Vega Efficiency

≥5.0

Vega efficiency 3.17 (vega 7.256 / spread 22.86%) — spread drag

Sentiment

Bullish or bearish?

8.0

BearishBullish

Analyzes

put/call ratios

open interest skew

, and flow direction to determine market bias.

Risk ChecksVery Bullish - Strong signal (Conviction: +43%, Raw: +24%)

Flow Direction

|net sentiment| ≥25%

Conviction-weighted: +43% (strong bullish) — Raw: +24%

OI Skew Magnitude

≥15%

|OI skew| 46.5% — call-heavy

Volume-OI Alignment

Same sign, |vol skew| ≥10%

Vol skew +96.8%, OI skew +46.5% — aligned

Conviction Quality

≥2/3 conditions

0-DTE 0%, far-OTM 15%, avg DTE 30

OI Momentum

|change| ≥3%

OI change +0.0% (5d) — stable

Smart Money Flow

|weighted flow| ≥20%

ITM: +100%, ATM: -33%, OTM: -19% — strong bullish (ITM/ATM divergent)

Sector Relative≤40% or ≥60%

Sector P/C percentile 1% — very bullish vs sector

Activity

Unusual activity?

6.0

QuietActive

Detects volume surges,

block trades

, and unusual options activity that may signal moves.

Risk Checks4/8 checks passed

Volume Surge

≥1.5x

Volume 8.6x avg — hot

Turnover Rate

≥15%

Vol/OI 6.9% — normal turnover

Multi-Day Persistence

≥2 days

1 day(s) elevated — may be one-day event

OI Build

≥5%

OI change +0.6% (5d) — stable

Sector Relative≥60%

Sector activity percentile 77% — active vs sector

Trade Quality

≥30%

Large trade volume 82% — heavy institutional

Execution Urgency

≥60%

Aggressive execution 7% — patient

Flow Conviction

≥30

Conviction +43 (bullish) — moderate

Liquidity

Can I trade efficiently?

2.6

IlliquidLiquid

Evaluates

bid-ask spreads

, volume depth, and open interest for trade execution quality.

Risk Checks1/8 checks passed

Tradeable Spread

≤5.0%

Spread 22.9% — wide

Adequate OI

≥10,000

OI 9,841 — thin

Active Volume

≥500

Volume 682/day — adequate

Reasonable Cost

≤$0.50

$1.14 to cross — expensive

Strike Coverage

≥5 strikes

0 liquid strikes — limited options

Sector Relative≤40%

Sector spread percentile 92% — much wider than sector

Order Book Depth

≥100 contracts

Depth 31.5 contracts (bid:10.8 ask:20.7) — thin

Execution Quality

<1.0%

Avg slippage 13.03% — poor

Timing

Is now a good time?

8.0

RiskyFavorable

Considers earnings proximity,

time decay

, and event calendar for optimal entry timing.

Risk Checks7/9 checks passed

Term Structure Clarity

|slope| ≥5%

Slope +4.9% — flat/unclear

IV Percentile Clarity

<30 or >70

IV percentile 81% — seller opportunity

Event Detection

≥10pts kink

IV kink -0.1pts — no clear event

Theta/Vega Clarity

<0.5 or >2.0

θ/ν ratio 146.29 — favors income trades

Expiration Distribution

≥3 expirations

3 liquid expirations — flexible

Event Risk

≥60% (safe)

safe window: No events detected

Spread Momentum

<1.2 ratio

Spread ratio 1.00x — stable

Flow Momentum

≥25% strength + ≥50% consistency

Flow +43% @ 71% consistency — STRONG directional (bullish)

Smart Money Timing

≥40 composite score

Score 112 (ITM 20% + inst 82%) — HIGH institutional

Directional Strategy Fit

Option Buyers

Long Calls7.0

bullishIV fair, bullish flow

Long Puts3.9

bearishIV fair, bullish flow

Premium Sellers

Cash-Secured Put6.2

bullishIV fair, bullish flow

Covered Call4.1

bearishIV fair, bullish flow

For educational purposes only. Not investment advice.

The Options Desk tracks the move options price into every US earnings report the week of Aug 31, next to how much each stock has actually moved on its past prints — plus the SPY, QQQ and IWM expected ranges and the gamma walls that box them in.

More on STEP

STEP gamma walls STEP max pain STEP IV rank STEP options flow