Short interest in the 3D printing companies was mixed in the most recent two-week reporting period. Partly that is due to the poor performance of the stocks since the beginning of the year. The following information is based on data reported for the period ended March 14, 2014.

Short interest in 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) rose 9.6% to 26.88 million shares. Some 27.6% of the company’s stock is short. Days to cover is four. In the two-week short interest period to March 14, the share price fell nearly 21%, and it is down about 38% for the year to date as of Tuesday night. The stock’s 52-week range is $29.88 to $97.28, and shares closed at $58.45 Tuesday night.

Short interest in Proto Labs Inc. (NYSE: PRLB) decreased by 13.5% to 2.41 million shares, or 10.8% of the company’s float. Days to cover is six. Shares were down about 12% in the two-week period and closed Tuesday at $64.72, down more than 6% year to date. The stock’s 52-week range is $43.62 to $89.97.

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) saw short interest rise 8.5% in the first two weeks of March to 2.32 million shares, or about 5.6% of the company’s float. Days to cover is two. Shares lost about 12% in the two-week period and have since slipped another 3.7%, closing down at $107.80, a drop of nearly 20% for the year to date. The stock’s 52-week range is $67.92 to $138.10.

Short interest in The ExOne Co. (NASDAQ: XONE) slipped 1.8% to 3.37 million shares. About 32.3% of the company’s shares were held short. Shares of ExOne were down nearly 14% in the two-week period and closed at $35.33 Tuesday, down 43.5% year to date. The stock’s 52-week range is $29.41 to $78.80, and days to cover is 10.

Voxeljet A.G. (NYSE: VJET) saw short interest fall 14.5% to 2.29 million shares, with a days to cover number of eight. Since coming public at $19 in mid-October, the share price is down about 10.7%. Year to date, shares are down nearly 41%, as well as down nearly 22% in the two-week period to March 14, and another 10% since then. The stock closed at $25.72 on Tuesday in a post-IPO range of $19.30 to $70.00.

Of the five companies we track, short interest fell in three. Short sellers are wondering if the stocks have reached their lows, but since March 14, stock prices have continued to fall. So the question becomes, will the 3D stocks’ fall from grace be as meteoric as their ascension?

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