Summer is in full swing, and judging by the moves in the six most shorted stocks traded on the Nasdaq between June 30 and July 14, short sellers overall were uncertain what to make of major indexes still near all-time highs even though the bull run is well more than eight years old now. There were swings in both directions during those two weeks, but mostly mild.

Note that Frontier Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: FTR), the previous king of the hill among these stocks, disappeared from the top 10 list by virtue of a reverse stock split during the most recent period. That allowed another frequent short seller favorite to return to the top spot.

Leading the upward trend in the first two weeks of this month was the largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world by revenue. On the other hand, short sellers notably retreated from world’s largest and highest valued semiconductor chip maker by revenue in that time.

Also note that now only two Nasdaq stocks had more than 100 million shares short, as of mid-July.

Sirius XM

The more than 255.72 million Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) shares short by the middle of this month was more than 8 million more than on the previous settlement date. That was the greatest number of shares short since May, and it represented 17.1% of the total float. As the average daily volume retreated to a year-to-date low, the days to cover rose to a year-to-date high of more than 16.

Sirius recently took a big stake in Pandora Media. The stock ended the two-week period about where it began it, though it was down more than 2% at one point in the interval. The Nasdaq rose more than 2% by the settlement date. The shares closed on Tuesday at $5.39 apiece, not far from the 52-week high of $5.53 from back in March. The 52-week low of $4.05 was seen last summer.

AMD

By the middle of this month, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) had more than 150.13 million shares short. That was a gain of more than 3% from the total on the previous settlement date, which took back most of the decline in the previous period. The most recent reading represented 17.8% of the company’s float. It still would take less than two days to cover all short positions.

AMD was seen during the period as benefiting from weakness at Intel. The July 14 share price was more than 11% higher than on the previous settlement date, though the shares had been up about 14% a couple of days earlier. The stock closed most recently at $14.11, which is more than 24% higher year to date. Shares have changed hands between $5.66 and $15.55 apiece in the past year.

Intel

More than 93.93 million Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) shares were sold short as of the latest settlement date. Short interest fell more than 8% in the period — from a year-to-date high — to total 2.0% of the company’s float. That ended four consecutive periods with a rising number of shares short. As of the mid-month settlement date, it would take more than four days to cover all short positions.

Intel was a laggard among Dow stocks in the first half of the year. Though the shares ended the short interest period almost 3% higher, that was about the same as the rise in the Nasdaq. The most recent close at $34.67 a share compares to a 52-week trading range of $33.23 and $38.45, and it is more than 4% lower than at the beginning of the year.

Opko Health

Opko Health Inc.’s (NASDAQ: OPK) short interest of more than 74.10 million shares on the most recent settlement date was more than 2% lower than in the previous period, and it followed a 3% drop in the previous period. The latest figure was 22.2% of the total float. The daily average volume shrank between the settlement dates, and the days to cover rose from less than 16 to nearly 18.

For well more than a year, the CEO frequently has bought batches of Opko shares. The stock closed most recently at $6.40 a share, in a 52-week trading range of $5.99 to $12.15. During the two-week short-interest period, the share price fell almost 7%, though it has recovered somewhat since then. The stock still is about 31% lower than at the beginning of the year.

Synergy Pharmaceuticals

Short interest at Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SGYP) totaled more than 60.74 million shares on July 14, which was almost a million fewer than on the prior settlement date. That ended three straight periods of rising short interest, and it represented a whopping 27.1% of the total float. The days to cover jumped from about 12 to more than 22 during the period.

This biopharmaceutical company is focused on treatments for constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. Short sellers watched the stock rise more than 3% but then end up only fractionally higher during those two weeks. The most recent closing share price was $4.19, which is more than 31% lower than at the beginning of the year. The 52-week trading range is $3.34 to $7.15.

Comcast

The number of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) shares short totaled more than 59.43 million on July 14. That was up about 15% from two weeks earlier, and it reclaimed most of the short interest drop in the previous period. The latest figure represented 1.3% of the total float. At the posted average daily trading volume, it would take more than three days to cover all short positions.

Comcast is expected to post its second-quarter results this week. Short sellers watched Comcast’s stock rise fractionally in the most recent period, and it has continued to amble upward since then. Tuesday’s closing share price was $39.75, which is up around 15% year to date. In the past year, the shares have traded between $30.02 and $42.18 apiece.

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And Others

Rounding out the top 10 were Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU), Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX), Oclaro Inc. (NASDAQ: OCLR) and Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN). The standout here was Micron, with a double-digit percentage rise in the number of its shares short in the first weeks of July. Swings in the others were modest.

Note that short interest in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) dropped to a 52-week low during the period, and now it is well outside the list of the top 10 most shorted Nasdaq stocks. Lingering just beyond the spotlight of the top 10 once more were Ascena Retail Group Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNA), BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

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