Short Sellers Hedge Their Bets on Social Media Stocks

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Updated Published
Short Sellers Hedge Their Bets on Social Media Stocks

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[cnxvideo id=”625483″ placement=”ros”]Social media has taken the world by storm, building virtual communities for anyone who has internet access and allowing people to connect and share across the globe. Many of these sites have changed the world in terms of how we meet people, read the news, get jobs and even date. These companies are on the cutting edge of social trends and are a good beacon to look toward for change.

Facebook and Twitter are the main names in this group, with one hitting all-time highs while the other is holding near its low. Despite being the preferred communication channel for the new U.S. commander-in-chief, Twitter still has been unable to monetize its platform, which has investors growing ever more concerned. However Twitter’s most recent earnings report has restored some faith in the stock. On the other hand, Facebook has been steadily expanding and is taking a sizable piece of the online advertising pie.

The April 28 short interest data have been compared with the previous report. Short interest moves in many of these selected social media stocks were downward for this settlement date.

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Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) had its short interest increase to 20.88 million shares from the previous 19.80 million. Shares were last seen at $149.84, within a 52-week trading range of $108.23 to $153.60.

The number of Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) shares short fell to 63.71 million from the previous level of 70.62 million. Shares recently traded at $18.36, in a 52-week range of $13.73 to $25.25.

Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH) saw its short interest increase to 12.93 million shares from the previous 12.16 million. Shares were trading at $18.97, in a 52-week range of $13.07 to $19.87.

Weibo Corp.’s (NASDAQ: WB) short interest remained virtually flat at 9.45 million in the two weeks. Shares recently were changing hands at $61.91, within a 52-week trading range of $21.60 to $62.17.

Short interest in Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) decreased to 8.63 million shares. The previous reading was 8.79 million. Shares recently traded at $28.11, in a 52-week range of $23.92 to $43.41.

Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) saw its short interest decrease to 35.07 million, compared to the previous level of 36.30 million. Shares were last trading at $23.01, in a post-IPO range of $18.90 to $29.44.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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