Short interest among the solar and alternative energy stocks we cover made some sharp moves in the two-week reporting period that ended on December 31. Short interest in the solar stocks we cover was mixed, with two posting higher and two posting lower short interest. And one company experienced a massive drop in short interest as demand for ethanol could be on the rise.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) saw short interest fall by 10.6% to 7.99 million shares, which represents 10.9% of the company’s float. Days to cover fell to three. In the two-week short interest period to December 31, shares rose nearly 6% but slipped about 22% in 2014 to close the year at $44.60. The stock’s 52-week range is $39.88 to $74.84, and it closed at $19.92 on Monday.

SunEdison Inc. (NYSE: SUNE) showed an increase of 4.7% in short interest to 75.18 million shares. About 27.9% of the company’s stock is now short and days to cover rose to nine. In the latest two-week short interest reporting period, shares fell nearly 21% and finished the year up about 40% at $19.51. The stock closed at $19.92 Monday night, in a 52-week range of $13.09 to $24.35.

SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) short interest fell by 1.7% to 10.53 million shares, or 20.2% of the company’s float. In the two-week short interest period to December 31, shares rose 12%, but they fell 20% in 2014, closing the year at $25.83. The stock’s 52-week range is $22.75 to $42.07, and it closed at $25.51 on Monday. Days to cover rose to six.

SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) saw a short interest rise by 10.4% to 20.58 million shares, or 36.3% of the company’s total float. Days to cover rose to nine. In the two-week short interest period, shares rose nearly 7%, but they fell about 10% in 2014 to close the year at $53.48. The stock’s 52-week range is $45.79 to $88.35, and shares closed at $49.32 Monday.

ALSO READ: Short Interest in Biotechs Signals Optimism

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) saw a rise of 12.5% in short interest in the two-week period to December 31. Some 13.4% of the stock, 5.54 million shares, are short, and days to cover rose to two. The company’s shares rose about 5% over the two weeks and closed out 2014 down about 29% at $24.19. Shares closed Monday night at $21.92, in a 52-week range of $20.64 to $44.50.

FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) had a decline of 5.1% in short interest during the two-week period. About 13.8% of the company’s stock, 32.39 million shares, is short and days to cover fell to eight. In the two-week short interest period, the shares dropped nearly 5%, but closed the year up about 7% at $1.54. The stock closed at $1.40 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $1.30 to $4.74.

Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) saw short interest fall by 6.8% to 33.02 million shares. Days to cover rose to six and about 19.8% of the company’s shares are short. In the two weeks to December 31, the stock’s share price rose more than 2%, but shares rose nearly 29% in 2014 to close the year at $3.00. The stock’s 52-week range is $2.22 to $11.72, and shares closed Monday at $2.94.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) saw a rise of just 0.1% in short interest to 16.6 million shares. About 24% of the company’s shares are short and days to cover remained unchanged at eight. Shares rose more 9% in the two-week period to December 31, and they were down about 61% in 2014 to close the year at $5.00. Shares closed at $4.53 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $4.25 to $12.53.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) saw short interest drop by 36.5% in the two-week period to 3.02 million shares, about 13.2% of the company’s float. Days to cover remained unchanged at three. The stock price rose about 1.5% in the two weeks to December 31 and shares closed out the year at $10.33, up 97.5% in 2014. Shares closed at $8.43 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $5.82 to $23.97.

ALSO READ: The 5 Most Shorted Nasdaq Stocks at the End of 2014

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.