Cars and Drivers

Short Sellers Make Mixed Bets on EV Stocks, Pull Back on Tesla, GM and Ford

Paul Ausick

Published: May 12, 2021 8:20 am

Short interest moves among automakers’ stocks were mixed during the two-week reporting period that ended on April 30. Of the companies we watch, short interest increased on three of six electric vehicle (EV) makers and declined sharply on both of the traditional carmakers. Share prices fell on all eight stocks during the two-week period.

Tesla Inc.’s (NYSE: TSLA) short interest fell by 19% during the latest two-week period. Short sellers hold 41.4 million shares (about 5.3%) of Tesla’s total float. Days to cover remained at two, and the share price dropped by about 4% in the reporting period. The stock’s 52-week trading range is $152.66 to $900.40, and it closed at $617.20 on Tuesday. Shares traded down by less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) had its short interest increase by 20% in the two weeks to April 30. About 62.2 million shares were short, representing nearly 37% of the company’s total float. Days to cover rose from four to five. Nikola’s share price rose by 8.8% during the reporting period, and the stock currently trades down about 22.5% for the year to date. It 52-week range is $9.37 to $93.99, and shares closed at $11.33 on Tuesday. The stock traded flat Wednesday morning.

Nio Ltd. (NYSE: NIO) short interest was essentially unchanged in the latter two weeks of April. About 73.5 million American depositary shares (ADSs) were short, representing about 5.7% of the total float. Days to cover remained at one. The stock’s 52-week range is $3.18 to $66.99, and shares closed Tuesday at $34.87. They traded up by about 1.4% Wednesday morning, after rising by about 11.7% during the two-week reporting period.

Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) saw short interest increase by 6% in the period. Some 40.9 million shares were short, or about 35% of the total float. The share price increased by about 6.4% in the two weeks. The stock closed at $8.24 on Tuesday and traded down by less than 1% Wednesday morning. Its 52-week range is $2.27 to $42.96.

Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ: LI) short interest fell by 7% in the period. About 26.2 million ADSs were short, representing about 3.6% of the China-based company’s total float. The share price increased by less than 1% in the period. The post-IPO range is $14.31 to $47.70, and shares closed at $17.01 on Tuesday. They traded up by about 1.7% Wednesday morning.

Xpeng Inc.’s (NYSE: XPEV) short interest totaled about 25.2 million shares on April 30, soaring by 23% in the two-week reporting period. Short sellers hold about 5.3% of the company’s total float. Shares fell by 8.5% in the two weeks and closed at $24.93 on Tuesday, in a post-IPO range of $17.11 to $74.49. The stock traded up by less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Short interest in General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) tumbled by 24% in the reporting period. About 15.2 million GM shares were short, or about 1.1% of the company’s float. Days to cover remained at one. Shares dropped by 2.4% in the period and closed Tuesday at $55.73. The 52-week range is $20.49 to $63.44, and shares traded flat Wednesday morning.

Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE: F) short interest plunged by 26% to about 65.8 million shares, or 1.7% of the total float. Days to cover slipped from two to one. The stock price dropped by 5.7% in the two-week reporting period, and shares closed at $11.58 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $4.52 to $13.62. They traded down by less than 1% Wednesday morning.