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Mercury General Corp (MCY) — wheel strategy suitability
Where MCY sits as an underlying for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls, and what its own price history says about the risk of being assigned into a falling stock. Snapshot of 3 October 2026.
Mercury General Corp (MCY) scores 76 on the Wheel score, which puts it in the preferred band for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls.
The score is carried by its valuation (83/100) and held back by margin stability (44/100). That cheapness matters mainly on the put side — it is the cushion you have if you are assigned. Margins are lumpy, which widens the range of outcomes if you end up owning it.
It has monthly options only, which costs it a small liquidity haircut. Workable, but every roll commits you for a month.
Over the last 3.0 years it had 1 day with a fall of 10% or more (0.34 a year), a deepest drawdown of -40.0%, and a worst single session of -19.9%. That is better than the median screened name (0.67 gap-downs a year, -44.9% typical worst drawdown).
Realised volatility runs about 35% annualised. That sits in the range where premium is worth collecting without the stock being wild.
Ownership context: a passive 13G filing on the register (13G 9.8% '23). A 13G is a passive holding disclosure, not a signal about the business. Large institutional ownership tends to come with steadier trading, nothing more.
Score breakdown
| Wheel score | 76 | 0–100 suitability for options selling |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | 81 | ROIC, margins, leverage, accruals |
| Valuation | 83 | cheaper on fwd P/E, EV/EBITDA, FCF yield |
| Margin stability | 44 | steadier earnings score higher |
| Options listed | Monthly | weekly avoids the liquidity haircut |
| Accounting flags | 0 | −8 points each |
Realised tail risk
Computed from our own daily price history, 2023-10-04 to 2026-10-01 (749 sessions). The Wheel score is built from fundamentals, so these price-derived numbers are an independent check on it, not a restatement of it.
| Days falling 10%+ in one session | 1 | 0.34 a year |
|---|---|---|
| Deepest drawdown | -40.0% | peak to trough |
| Worst single session | -19.9% | |
| Realised volatility | 35% | annualised |
Fundamentals
| Revenue (ttm) | 5,992M USD |
|---|---|
| Revenue CAGR (3y) | 18.0% |
| Net margin | 9.0% |
| Return on equity | 22.4% |
| Share price | $100.27 |
| Days to earnings | 31 |
| Sector / industry | Financial Services · Insurance - Property & Casualty |
Open the MCY options chain on Yahoo Finance to check live strikes and premium — this page deliberately carries no quotes, because a quote baked into a static page is stale before you read it.
Run the numbers on MCY
Pre-filled with the snapshot price of $100.27 and 30-day realised volatility; add the strike and premium from the live option chain.