Tag: short squeeze

Top Short Squeeze Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

During the last month, the stock price of Tesla (TSLA) has increased by 23.9%. This is in spite of the fact that the company hasn’t generated any earnings. Many believe that the reason for the price rise in the stock is due to a short squeeze, as over 39 million shares have been shorted, amounting to 31% of the stock float. When the stock rises for any reason, short sellers scramble to cover their positions by buying the stock, and thereby driving up the price of the stock even more.

So how can you make money on the long side from short squeezes? One technique that stock traders utilize is buying short squeeze stocks, companies have been heavily shorted. Here is a more extensive explanation of what a short squeeze is.

When you short a stock, it means that your goal is to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. This all happens electronically, so you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can be profitable, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, and begins to rise, the short sellers jump in right away to buy shares to cover their positions, creating what is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the share prices to increase fast and furiously. Any good news can trigger the short squeeze.

Some traders utilize this situation by looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what a short squeeze trader should take into consideration:

Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays.

Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.

Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here is one example. Big Lots (BIG) is a stock that is heavily shorted. As a matter fo fact, 30.6% of the float is shorted. In addition, the number of shares shorted has increased by 6% over the last reported two week period. Finally, the short interest ratio is 9. That means it would take the short sellers nine days to cover their positions, based on the number of shares that trade each day on average.

So what stocks are heavily shorted that may be worth a closer examination? Check out the following list, but be aware, that often some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Company Symbol % change % of Float Days to cover
Big Lots BIG 6 30.6 9.0
Ichor ICHR 0 33.2 6.7
Mallinckrodt MNK 0 39.4 13.6
Renewable Energy REGI 12 27.4 7.4
Abercrombie & Fitch ANF 2 22.0 5.8

Maybe this is a way to squeeze some juice out of your portfolio.

 

Disclosure: Author owns TSLA.

How to Make Money with Short Squeeze Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

Back in 2015, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., jumped about 75% in one day, due to a takeover. The hedge fund manager, David Einhorn had a short position in the stock, which generated an enormous loss. But even a rumor of a takeover can send a stock higher, or even just good news, causing short sellers to scramble to cover their positions, creating what is called a short squeeze.

A technique that stock traders often use is buying short squeeze stocks. Here is a more extensive explanation of what a short squeeze stock is and what a short squeeze is.

When you short a stock, it means that you expect to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. Of course, this all happens electronically, you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your computer screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can make a lot of money, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, and begins to rise, the short sellers jump in at once to buy shares to cover their position. This is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the stock to rise fast and hard. Any type of positive news can trigger the short squeeze.

So other traders take advantage of this situation by looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what they look for:

Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays.

Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.

Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Let’s take an example. Cars.com Inc. is a stock that is heavily shorted. As a matter fo fact, 23.1% of the float is shorted. In addition, the number of shares shorted has increased by almost 2% over the last reported two week period. Finally, the short interest ratio is 25. That means it would take the short sellers 25 days to cover their positions, based on the number of shares that trade each day on average.

So what stocks are heavily shorted that may be worth a closer examination? Check out the following list, but be aware, that often some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Company Symbol % change % of Float Days to cover
Invacare Corporation IVC 2.5 28.9 41
Zoe’s Kitchen ZOES 1.6 35.1 35
Seritage Growth Properties SRG 2.7 34.1 33
Maxar Technologies Ltd. MAXR 4.8 7.2 32
McEwen Mining MUX 0.9 19.6 31
Lannett Company, Inc. LCI 1.7 53 31
Lee Enterprises, Inc. LEE 0.5 8 29
AU Optronics Corp AUO 1.6 … 27
Acushnet Holdings Corp. GOLF 2 15.9 26
Gildan Activewear Inc. GIL 1.4 3.7 26
The Buckle, Inc. BKE 0.1 33.8 25
Cars.com Inc. CARS 1.9 23.1 25

The Top Short Squeeze Stocks in Biotechnology

The biotechnology industry has some of the most volatile stocks, which may be one reason that stock traders like to trade them.

A trading strategy that has become popular is buying short squeeze stocks, the stocks that are heavily shorted but could move up quickly on any good news due to short sellers scrambling to buy in their positions.

When you short a stock, it means that you expect to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. Of course, this all happens electronically, you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your computer screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can make a lot of money, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, the stock starts to move up, and the short sellers jump in at once to buy shares to cover their position. This is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the stock to rise fast and hard. Any type of positive news can trigger the short squeeze.

So other traders take advantage of this situation buy looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what they look for:

  • Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays.
  • Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.
  • Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here are some stocks that are heavily shorted that may warrant a closer look. Remember that some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Insys Therapeutics (INSY) has 68% of the float shorted, and a short interest ratio, also known as days to cover, of 14.5. This means that based on the current average daily volume, it would take almost 15 days for short sellers to cover their positions.

Egalet Corp (EGLT) has 64% of the float shorted, with a days to cover ratio of 9.5.

Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) has a short interest ratio of 12.8 and 55% of the float shorted.

Lannett Company (LCI) has 45% of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 10.1.

TherapeuticsMD (TXMD) has 39% of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 31.9.

Eagle Pharmaceuticals (EGRX) has 42.5%of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 11.3. This company also has a very low float and very low number of shares outstanding.

With any luck, you may be able to make a short term profit on short squeeze stocks.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.




Top Biotech Short Squeeze Plays

One of the most volatile industries is biotechnology, which makes biotech stocks a favorite of stock traders.

One trading technique is buying short squeeze stocks. Here is what a short squeeze stock is and what a short squeeze is.

When you short a stock, it means that you expect to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. Of course, this all happens electronically, you don’t actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your computer screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can make a lot of money, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, the stock starts to move up, and the short sellers jump in at once to buy shares to cover their position. This is called a short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the stock to rise fast and hard. Any type of positive news can trigger the short squeeze.

So other traders take advantage of this situation buy looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what they look for:

  • Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays.
  • Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how “stuck” the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.
  • Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here are some stocks that are heavily shorted that may warrant a closer look. Remember that some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Aduro Biotech (ADRO) has 25% of the float shorted, and a short interest ratio, also known as days to cover, of 14.7. This means that based on the current average daily volume, it would take almost 15 days for short sellers to cover their positions.

Agios Pharmaceuticals (AGIO) has 22% of the float shorted, with a days to cover ratio of 11.

Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) has a short interest ratio of 9.1 and 24% of the float shorted.

Opko Health (OPK) has 20% of the float shorted, with a short interest ratio of 22.2.

Hopefully, you can make a short term profit on short squeeze stocks.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written.