Investing

Some Actively Traded Stocks See Jump in Short Interest (GE, NOK, BAC, VZ, ANR, MCD, AAPL, RIMM, MSFT, DELL, GMCR, CSCO)

stock symbol ticker
Source: thinkstock
We have tracked the key short interest changes as of January 31 in the following large cap stocks: General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Research In Motion Ltd., Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO).

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) short interest rose 29.4% to 73.27 million shares. About 0.7% of GE’s float is now short.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) saw short interest rise by 8.8% to 340.12 million shares, about 8.8% of the company’s total float.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) short interest fell 8.4% to 150.49 million shares, which represents 1.4% of the company’s float.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) saw a 5.8% decline in short interest to 45.32 million shares, which represents about 1.6% of the firm’s float.

Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) showed a drop of 6.4% in short interest, to 31.99 million shares, about 14.7% of Alpha’s float.

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) showed a rise of 6.3% in short interest, to 12.37 million shares, about 1.2% of the company’s float.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) saw a short interest increase of 6.5% to 18.86 million shares, or 2% of the company’s float.

Research In Motion — now BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY) — saw short interest fall by 4.2% to 129.49 million shares, or 27.7% of the total float. The company’s changed its name on January 30.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) posted a 7.4% rise in short interest, to 80.09 million shares, about 1.1% of Microsoft’s float.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) short interest fell by 28.4% to 41.1 million shares, or about 2.8% of the company’s float.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) saw short interest fall by 12.6% to 27.12 million shares, or 22.3% of the company’s float.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) saw short interest fall by 2.5% to 56.8 million shares. That is about 1.1% of the company’s float.

BlackBerry remains the most heavily shorted of these active stocks, name change notwithstanding. Dell’s short interest fell dramatically in the days leading up to the buyout offer from Michael Dell and his partners. GE’s rise in short interest is likely due to investors’ belief that the company will not repeat its strong fourth-quarter showing. Finally, McDonald’s has been having trouble meeting expectations for monthly sales, and shorts are taking advantage of that.

Sponsored: Attention Savvy Investors: Speak to 3 Financial Experts – FREE

Ever wanted an extra set of eyes on an investment you’re considering? Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply
clicking here
you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help guide you through the financial decisions you’re making. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.


Click here
to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.