Short Sellers Increase Bets in Major Oil Stocks

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
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Short Sellers Increase Bets in Major Oil Stocks

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The short interest data have been released for the December 15 settlement date. It just so happens that some of the latest short interest readings for major oil companies are backing off highs, while others are pushing on new highs.

The December 15 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures, and short interest for the selected stocks saw a definite jump.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) saw its short interest increase to 26.55 million shares from the previous reading of 22.28 million. Shares closed Thursday at $92.05, in a 52-week trading range of $69.58 to $114.38.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) saw its short interest rise to 54.57 million shares from the previous level of 51.55 million. Shares closed Thursday at $79.33, within a 52-week trading range of $66.55 to $94.43.

BP PLC’s (NYSE: BP) short interest increased to 7.22 million shares from its previous reading of 5.85 million. Shares closed Thursday at $32.12, in a 52-week trading range of $29.35 to $43.85.
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ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) saw the number of its shares short increase to 36.98 million from the previous 33.33 million. Shares closed Thursday at $48.59, within a 52-week trading range of $41.10 to $70.79.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, saw its short interest jump to 177.64 million shares from its previous reading of 175.58 million. Shares closed Thursday at $4.53, in a 52-week trading range of $3.72 to $10.55. Unfortunately, Petrobras may be trading on an entirely different set of fundamentals and sentiment due to its woes in Brazil.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) short interest bucked the trend and decreased to 12.15 million shares from the previous reading of 12.63 million. Shares closed most recently at $69.20, in a 52-week trading range of $63.60 to $83.74.

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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