Microsoft
> Shares short: more than 47.76 million
> Change from prior period: −10.41%
> Percentage of float: 0.6
Microsoft slipped to the number three spot on the list in the latter half of April after the second sizable retreat in a row. Note though that the 52-week low of around 37 million shares occurred back in February. It would take these investors more than a day to cover their short bets, as of the conclusion of last month.
Microsoft fared well during its most recent quarter as clients struggled to adapt to changing circumstances. The shares ended the two weeks trading more than 4% higher, even though they were down more than 3% earlier in the period. The Nasdaq saw a gain of about 4% during the short interest period, which was better than the performance of the Dow and the S&P 500.
Microsoft stock was last seen trading at $186.74 a share, down from the multiyear high of $190.70 reached in February but well above the 52-week low of $119.01 seen last June. The latest share price is about 36% higher than the low during the pandemic sell-off, while the Nasdaq is up over 33% in that time.
And the Rest
Rounding out the top five most shorted Dow stocks on the most recent settlement date were Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NYSE: CSCO). While the former saw handily falling short interest, the networking products company had just a bit of a bump in the number of its shares short. Intel stock ended the period about 2% higher, and the company reported better than expected first-quarter results. Cisco stock was up about 2% at month’s end. The company offered customers $2.5 billion in financing in April.
Note on the following list of short interest changes in Dow stocks as of April 30 that among those notably bucking the shrinking short interest trend were Boeing, Chevron, Dow, Goldman Sachs and Walgreens.
| Dow Stock | Short (millions) | Change | % Float |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exxon | 58.83 | −0.75% | 1.39% |
| Pfizer | 48.96 | 10.51% | 0.86% |
| Microsoft | 47.76 | −10.41% | 0.64% |
| Intel | 35.65 | −13.78% | 0.84% |
| Cisco | 34.42 | 0.51% | 0.81% |
| Verizon | 32.12 | −8.65% | 0.78% |
| Visa | 31.18 | 4.60% | 1.85% |
| Apple | 30.12 | −13.02% | 0.70% |
| Coca-Cola | 27.87 | 1.95% | 0.65 |
| JPMorgan | 24.09 | −16.87% | 0.80% |
| Disney | 23.81 | −5.69% | 1.32% |
| Chevron | 22.75 | 13.39% | 1.22% |
| IBM | 19.17 | 3.34% | 2.16% |
| Merck | 18.89 | 8.34% | 0.75% |
| Raytheon Technologies | 18.19 | −9.41% | 2.10% |
| Boeing | 18.00 | 23.15% | 3.19% |
| Procter & Gamble | 17.16 | −4.82% | 0.69% |
| Johnson & Johnson | 16.83 | −11.74% | 0.64% |
| Dow | 16.82 | 21.36% | 2.27% |
| Walgreens | 16.70 | 35.29% | 2.29% |
| Walmart | 14.40 | −14.87% | 1.04% |
| American Express | 11.91 | 6.43% | 1.48% |
| Nike | 11.78 | −0.11% | 0.98% |
| Home Depot | 10.76 | 4.15% | 1.00% |
| Caterpillar | 8.56 | −16.28% | 1.58% |
| McDonald’s | 7.98 | −7.98% | 1.07% |
| UnitedHealth | 6.80 | −2.41% | 0.72% |
| 3M | 6.50 | −12.59% | 1.13% |
| Goldman Sachs | 6.23 | 14.82% | 1.89% |
| Travelers | 4.43 | 1.37% | 1.76% |
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