Energy

Short Sellers Don't Fight the Surge in Oil and Gas Stocks

mtcurado / iStock via Getty Images

Crude oil traded around $38.10 a barrel early Tuesday, up by about $6.50 a barrel over the past two weeks. The reopening, gradual though it may be, coupled with a greater demand for gasoline and an extension to the OPEC+ production cuts continues pushing prices higher.

Of the companies we watch, short interest decreased on five of six energy stocks during the two-week reporting period ending May 29.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) saw short interest fall by 17% to 17.7 million shares, which represents about 1.0% of the company’s float. Days to cover remained at one. In the two-week short interest period, the stock’s share price fell by about 2.5%. Its 52-week range is $51.60 to $127.00, and it closed at $101.53 on Tuesday, down by about 1.7% for the day.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) short interest rose by 2.0% to 60.6 million shares, or about 1.6% of the company’s float. In the two weeks to May 29, the share price rose by about 0.4%. The stock’s 52-week range is $30.11 to $77.93, and it closed at $53.52 on Tuesday, down by about 2.2% for the day.

BP PLC (NYSE: BP) saw a drop of 22% in short interest during the two-week period. About 0.3% of the total float, or 13.0 million American depositary shares (ADSs), were short, and days to cover remained at one. The company’s shares traded down by about 3.7% over the period, and they closed down about 3.7% Tuesday at $27.34 in a 52-week range of $15.51 to $42.70.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) short interest fell 7.0% in the period. Some 12.6 million shares were short, representing about 1.1% of the company’s total float. Days to cover remained at one, and the stock price dropped by about 2.1% during the two weeks. Shares closed Tuesday at $48.63, down about 3.3%, in a 52-week range of $20.84 to $67.13.

PetrĂłleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, short interest dropped by 9.0% during the period. Some 42.9 million ADSs were short as of May 29, about 1.2% of the total float. They closed at $9.29 on Tuesday, in a 52-week range of $4.01 to $16.95. They jumped by 11.2% in the short interest period, and days to cover rose from one to two.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) saw short interest slide by 16.0% to 64.8 million shares. Days to cover remained at two, and about 7.2% of the company’s shares were short. In the two weeks to May 29, the share price tumbled about 13.8%. The stock’s 52-week range is $9.00 to $54.05, and shares closed Tuesday at $23.18, down by 5.0% for the day.

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)

Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.

Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.

Click here now to get started.

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