Short Sellers Continue to Have Mixed Stance on Semiconductors

By Chris Lange Published Oct 12, 8:25AM EDT

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The short interest data have come out for the September 30 settlement date. It is important to note that semiconductor trends are considered to be leading indicators of technology and broader electronics demand. Chip makers with a solid position in the mobile space continue to advance.

On the broad scope, short sellers appear to have mixed feelings on these semiconductor stocks. The September 30 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) saw its short interest decrease to 116.95 million shares. The previous level was 118.95 million. Shares closed Friday at $32.14, in a 52-week trading range of $24.87 to $37.90.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) had its short interest increase to 133.64 million shares. The previous level was 131.36 million, compared to the late July level of 157.66 million, easily the highest in 2015. Shares of AMD closed Friday at $1.96, in a 52-week trading range of $1.61 to $3.37.

Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) saw its short interest continue to decrease to 31.24 million, compared to the previous period, in which 32.40 million shares were reported short. The final few readings over the summer were the highest within the past 52 weeks. Qualcomm shares closed Friday at $57.78, in a 52-week trading range of $52.17 to $78.53.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) saw its short interest increase to 27.10 million shares. The previous reading was 25.71 million. The highest reading year to date was 82.90 million in late February. Shares closed Friday at $15.65, in a 52-week range of $14.25 to $25.71.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) saw its short interest rise to 65.00 million shares from the previous reading of 63.36 million. Short interest is currently at one of its lowest levels of the year. Shares of Micron closed Friday at $18.16, in a 52-week range of $13.50 to $36.59.

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SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) had its short interest increase slightly for the end of September settlement date. The most recent reading was 17.77 million shares, compared to the previous reading of 16.77 million. Shares closed Friday at $62.36, in a 52-week trading range of $44.28 to $106.64.

Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) saw its short interest decrease to 10.51 million shares, versus the previous short interest level of 10.92 million. Note that Broadcom has entered into an agreement with Avago to be purchased for $37 billion. Shares closed Friday at $50.49, in a 52-week range of $34.50 to $57.70.

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.