Investors Mixed on Short Interest Direction for Solar, Alternative Energy Stocks

By Paul Ausick Updated Jan 12, 2:26PM EST · Published Feb 28, 7:35AM EST

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Investors Mixed on Short Interest Direction for Solar, Alternative Energy Stocks — © Thinkstock

[cnxvideo id=”655426″ placement=”ros”]Short interest moves among solar and alternative energy stocks were mixed during the two-week reporting period that ended on February 15. Of the companies we watch, short interest rose on two of three solar stocks and on two of four alternative energy stocks.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) saw short interest dip by 0.7% to 16.86 million shares, which represents about 22% of the company’s float. Days to cover rose from nine to 11. In the two-week period through February 15, the stock’s share price added about 10.3%. Its 52-week trading range is $28.60 to $74.29, and it closed at $37.83 on Monday, down about 0.2% for the day.

SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) short interest increased by 4.9% to 19.62 million shares, or 33.5% of the company’s float. In the short interest period, the share price fell about 3.4%. The stock’s 52-week range is $6.00 to $25.29, and it closed at $8.98 on Monday, up about 1%. Days to cover rose from seven to 10.

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Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) saw a rise of 4.2% in short interest during the two-week period. Some 13.1% of the total float, 5.81 million shares, were short, and days to cover rose from five to six. The company’s share price rose by 6.1% over the period, and shares closed Monday at $15.13, up about 2.2% for the day, in a 52-week range of $10.25 to $23.56.

FuelCell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) posted an increase of 3.6% in short interest during the period. Some 3.32 million shares were short as of February 15. The stock closed at $1.60 on Monday, up nearly 5% for the day, in a 52-week range of $1.25 to $8.88. Shares added about 12% in the short interest period, and days to cover fell from five to four.

Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG) saw short interest decrease by 2.9% to 33.25 million shares. Days to cover fell from eight to three, and about 17.6% of the company’s shares are short. In the two weeks to February 15, the share price rose by about 3.8%. The stock’s 52-week range is $0.83 to $2.28, and shares closed Monday at $1.10, down about 2.7% for the day.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) saw a drop of about 1.6% in short interest to 6.8 million shares. About 5.9% of the company’s float was short, and days to cover rose from five to six. The share price fell by about 1.9% in the two weeks. The stock closed at $2.54, up 2%, on Monday, in a 52-week range of $2.38 to $4.80.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) saw short interest rise by 8% in the two-week period to 1.1 million shares, about 2.8% of the company’s float. Days to cover rose from one to two. The stock price added about 14.4% in the first two weeks of February. Shares closed at $7.60 on Monday, unchanged on the day, in a 52-week range of $3.67 to $10.95.

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About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.