Technology

How Will Short Interest in 3D Printing Stocks React to Bullish Analyst?

Paul Ausick

Published: May 25, 2016 8:40 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 7:36 am

Short interest during the two-week period ending May 13 fell on three of four 3D printing stocks we follow. Share prices for all four stocks declined during the two-week period, ranging from a loss of around 19% to as much as 32%.

On Tuesday, FBR Capital Markets initiated coverage on three of the four companies we track. Two of the three were rated Outperform. How committed the shorts are to their positions will be revealed in the next report on short interest.

Short interest in 3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) rose by 2.8% to 25.12 million shares. Some 23.8% of the company’s float was short. Days to cover remained unchanged at five. In the two-week short interest period, the share price plunged by 32.5%. The stock’s 52-week range is $6.00 to $22.62, and shares closed at $13.04 on Tuesday, up nearly 6% on the day. The share price dived 25% after a dismal first-quarter earnings report on May 5. FBR Capital Markets initiated coverage on 3D Systems Tuesday with a Market Perform rating and a price target of $14.50.

Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) saw short interest rise by 19.1% in the first two weeks of May to about 8.7 million shares, or 19.1% of the company’s float. Days to cover fell from seven to five. The share price tumbled by nearly 21% in the two-week period. The stock closed at $22.08 on Tuesday, up nearly 8% on the day, in a 52-week range of $14.48 to $39.45. Analysts at FBR started coverage on the company’s stock Tuesday with an Outperform rating and a price target of $29.

Short interest in The ExOne Co. (NASDAQ: XONE) rose 8.9% to 1.89 million shares. About 21% of the company’s shares were short. Its share price fell by nearly 30% between the settlement dates. The stock’s 52-week range is $5.81 to $14.75, and shares closed at $10.34 on Tuesday, up about 11.4% for the day. Days to cover remained unchanged at six. FBR also initiated coverage on ExOne with an Outperform rating and a price target of $14.

Short interest in Voxeljet A.G. (NYSE: VJET) decreased by 17.1% to 605,553 American depositary shares (ADSs), with days to cover dropping from 11 to eight. The share price fell nearly 19% in the two weeks to May 13. The ADSs closed at $4.87 most recently, up about 3.2% for the day, in a 52-week range of $3.50 to $8.26.