The 6 Most Shorted NYSE Stocks: Pfizer and Freeport-McMoRan on the Rise

Investing

Published: January 13, 2016 6:10 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 3:07 pm

General Electric saw its short interest drop sharply between the December 15 and December 31 settlement dates for the second period in a row. Meanwhile, among the other most shorted stocks on the New York Stock Exchange, short sellers piled on to Pfizer and Freeport-McMoRan as the year wound to a close.

Note that the 10 most shorted NYSE stocks all had more than 100,000 shares short at the end of the most recent settlement period.

Chesapeake Energy

Short interest in Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) had grown in the previous three periods, but it took a breather late December, slipping less than 2% to more than 241.81 million. That was 36.8% of the company’s float, and the days to cover remained about 10 even though the daily average volume shrank from a three-month high. Chesapeake shares recently were downgraded. Short sellers watched the stock climb more than 21% between the settlement dates, while the S&P 500 was essentially flat. Shares closed most recently at $4.05, up from a multiyear low of $3.56 in December. The 52-week high of $21.49 was seen last February.

Sprint

Sprint Corp.’s (NYSE: S) short interest edged up a bit more than 1% in the final weeks of the month, the fourth period in a row of expanding number of shares short. The most recent reading of more than 216.12 million was 34.7% of the float, as well as the greatest number of shares short in at least a year. The days to cover jumped from 11 to 20. The FTC recently ordered Sprint to pay for “cramming,” and the share price ended the two-week period less than 2% higher, despite being up nearly 10% at one point. The stock has fallen more than 7% since then and closed Tuesday at $3.37, in a 52-week trading range of $3.10 to $5.45.