Cars and Drivers

Short Interest Soars on 2 Electric Vehicle Makers

Paul Ausick

Published: September 11, 2020 10:25 am

Short interest moves among automakers’ stocks were mixed during the two-week reporting period that ended on August 31. Of the companies we watch, short interest increased on two of six electric vehicle (EV) makers and one of two traditional carmakers.

Tesla Inc. (NYSE: TSLA) short sellers increased their positions by a whopping 346% during the two-week period to 54.9 million shares, about 7.4% of the company’s float. The huge reported increase was likely due to the one-for-five stock split on August 28. Days to cover remained at one. In the short interest period, the stock’s share price increased by about 51%. Its 52-week range is $43.67 to $202.49 (split-adjusted), and it closed at $371.34 on Thursday, up by about 1.4% for the day.

Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) short interest fell by 21.5% in the two weeks to August 31. About 9.5 million shares were short, representing 7% of the company’s total float. Days to cover rose from one to two, and the share price fell by 11.2% during the reporting period. The stock’s post-IPO range is $10.27 to $93.99, and shares closed down more than 11% on Thursday following a scathing report from short seller Hindenburg Research.

Nio Ltd. (NYSE: NIO) saw short interest drop by 24% to 84.5 million American depositary shares (ADSs). Days to cover remained at one, and 9.4% of the company’s float was short. The stock’s 52-week range is $1.19 to $21.05, and shares closed Thursday at $17.74. The stock added more than 45% during the short interest period.

Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) short sellers reduced their positions by 10% in the latter half of August. Some 20.9 million shares were short, or 22.7% of the company’s total float. Days to cover remained at two. The share price rose 18.6% in the two-week period, and the stock closed at $22.39 on Thursday. Its 52-week range is $1.32 to $24.49.

Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ: LI) short interest rose by 249% in the two-week period. Nearly 10 million ADSs were short, representing about 16% of China-based company’s total float. Days to cover remained at one, and the share price rose by 11.6% in the period. The post-IPO range is $14.31 to $24.48, and shares closed at $16.05 on Thursday, up about 1.6% for the day. Li Auto came public in late July.

Xpeng Inc. (NYSE: XPEV) saw short interest of 3 million ADSs in its first short-interest reporting period since coming public on August 27. Shares dipped by 3.4% in the three trading days since the company’s IPO. Shares closed at $19.28 on Thursday, in a post-IPO range of $17.37 to $25.00, a gain of 6.7% for the day.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) short interest rose by 15% in those two weeks. About 20.7 million shares were short, or about 1.6% of the company’s float. Days to cover remained at two. Shares rose by about 6.4% in the period and closed Thursday at $30.17, in a 52-week range of $14.33 to $39.58, down about 5.6% for the day. Earlier in the week, GM completed an agreement with Nikola that gave the venerable automaker an 11% stake in the electric and hybrid-electric/fuel-cell truck maker.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) short interest declined by 10% to 98.4 million shares, or about 2.5% of the total float. Days to cover remained at one. The stock price dipped by 3.1% in the two-week reporting period, and shares closed at $6.91 on Thursday, down by about 1% for the day. The stock’s 52-week range is $3.96 to $9.60.

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