Cars and Drivers

Short Sellers Pile On a Couple of EV Stocks and GM

Paul Ausick

Published: May 26, 2021 9:12 am

Short interest moves among automaker stocks were mixed during the two-week reporting period that ended on May 14. Of the companies we watch, short interest increased on three of six electric vehicle (EV) makers while jumping sharply on one of the traditional carmakers. Share price moves on the eight stocks were mixed during the two-week period, with four of the EV makers posting double-digit declines.

Tesla Inc.’s (NYSE: TSLA) short interest dipped by 4% during the latest two-week period. Short sellers held 39.9 million shares (about 5.2%) of Tesla’s total float. Days to cover remained at two, and the share price plunged by about 17% in the reporting period. The stock’s 52-week range is $157.00 to $900.40, and it closed at $607.69 on Tuesday. Shares traded up by less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) also saw short interest fall by 4% in the two weeks to May 14. About 59.7 million shares were short, representing more than 34% of the company’s total float. Days to cover remained at five. Nikola’s share price rose by 4.8% during the reporting period, and the stock now trades down about 19.3% for the year to date. The 52-week trading range is $9.37 to $93.99, and shares closed at $12.32 on Tuesday. The stock traded up less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Nio Inc.’s (NYSE: NIO) short interest increased by about 2.3% in the first two weeks of May. About 75.2 million American depositary shares (ADSs) were short, representing about 5.8% of the company’s total float. Days to cover remained at one. The stock’s 52-week range is $3.73 to $66.99, and shares closed Tuesday at $36.07. The stock traded up by about 1.3% Wednesday morning, after falling by about 16% during the two-week reporting period.

The short interest in Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) jumped over 16% in the two-week period. Some 47.5 million shares were short, or about 42% of the total float. The share price plummeted by nearly 35% in the period. The stock closed at $8.14 on Tuesday and traded up less than 1% Wednesday morning. Its 52-week range is $2.44 to $42.96.

Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ: LI) had short interest rise by 13% in the reporting period. About 29.7 million ADSs were short, representing about 4.1% of the China-based company’s total float. The share price dropped by about 7% in the period. The post-IPO range is $14.31 to $47.70, and shares closed at $19.99 on Tuesday. They traded up by less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Xpeng Inc.’s (NYSE: XPEV) short interest totaled about 24.6 million shares, dipping by 2% in the two-week reporting period. Short sellers held about 5.7% of the company’s total float. The share price fell by about 14% in the two weeks. The stock closed at $29.38 on Tuesday, in a post-IPO range of $17.11 to $74.49. It traded up by 1.1% Wednesday morning.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) saw its short interest soar 23% in the first half of May. About 18.6 million GM shares were short, or about 1.4% of the company’s float. It still would take short sellers one day to cover their bets. Shares dropped by 2.1% in the period and closed Tuesday at $56.76. The 52-week range is $23.33 to $63.44, and shares traded up less than 1% Wednesday morning.

Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE: F) short interest was unchanged at about 65.8 million shares, which is 1.7% of the total float. Days to cover remained at one. The stock price increased by 2.6% in the two-week period, and shares closed at $12.81 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $5.57 to $13.62. They traded up by about 2% Wednesday morning.