Stocks With the Most Short Interest -- Nasdaq

Investing

Published: February 12, 2014 10:35 am

Last Updated: April 28, 2020 5:34 am

Here is a look at the six Nasdaq-traded stocks with the largest number of shares held short as of January 31. Of the six, four saw short interest fall while two had short interest rise.

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) saw its short interest drop 1.2% to 218.93 million shares, or about 7.6% of the stock’s float. Days to cover is five. The current proposal from Liberty Media to buy the remaining 48% of Sirius it does not already own for $3.68 a share should push the short interest down even further. The stock closed at $3.57 Tuesday night, in a 52-week range of $2.95 to $4.18.

For Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), short interest fell 3.3% to 206.48 million shares. About 4.2% of Intel’s float is now short, and the days to cover is five. Intel reported fourth-quarter results that missed EPS estimates, and the shorts continue to bail, waiting for their next opportunity to make a short play. The stock price fell nearly 7.5% during the two weeks to the end of January and is down more than 5% year-to-date. The stock closed at $24.47 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $20.10 to $27.12.

Short interest in Frontier Communications Corp. (NYSE: FTR) rose 1.8% in the two-week period to January 31. Some 199.42 million shares are currently held short, representing 20.1% of the company’s float, and the days-to-cover number of 20. Even the company’s hugely generous dividend yield of 8.8% is not enough to curb the enthusiasm of short sellers. Shares closed Tuesday at $4.58, in a 52-week range of $3.71 to $5.02.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) has 106.55 million shares held short, down 9.9% from the number held short on January 15 and 10.1% of the company’s float. Days to cover is three for the heavily traded stock. Since reporting quarterly earnings on January 7, the stock has gained nearly 21%, and the outlook for the company remains strong. Shares closed at $24.71 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $7.64 to $25.24.

Short interest in BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) fell 13.2% in the final two weeks of January to a total of 93.61 million shares, or 19.2% of BlackBerry’s float. Days to cover is two for this highly volatile stock. The stock price has nearly doubled from its 52-week low, which should be having the opposite effect and have the shorts piling in. Maybe next time. Shares closed at $9.80, in a 52-week range of $5.44 to $16.82.

Windstream Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: WIN) pays a massive dividend yield of 13.6%, and it takes a certain kind of gambler to give up that kind of return on a short bet. In addition, the share price is currently within range of the 52-week low. Short interest in Windstream rose 6.8% in the most recent two-week period to 91.96 million shares. That is 15.6% of the company’s float and 13 days to cover at average trading volume. Shares closed at $7.45, in a 52-week range of $7.18 to $9.90.

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