Short Sellers Have Mixed Feelings on Semiconductors

By Chris Lange Published Sep 11, 7:50AM EDT

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The short interest data have come out for the August 31 settlement date. It is important to note that semiconductor trends are considered to be leading indicators of technology and broader electronics demand. Chip makers with a solid position in the mobile space continue to advance.

On the broad scope, short sellers appear to have mixed feelings on these semiconductor stocks. The August 31 short interest data have been compared with the previous figures.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) saw its short interest increase to 119.65 million shares. The previous level was 117.35 million. Shares closed Thursday at $19.27, in a 52-week trading range of $24.87 to $37.90.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) had its short interest decrease to 131.39 million shares. The previous level was 137.19 million, compared to the late July level of 157.66 million, easily the highest in 2015. Shares of AMD closed Thursday at $1.84, in a 52-week trading range of $1.61 to $4.11.

Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) saw its short interest continue to decrease to 32.89 million, compared to the previous period, in which 33.30 million shares were reported short. The past few readings over the summer are the highest within the past 52 weeks. Qualcomm shares closed Thursday at $55.33, in a 52-week trading range of $52.59 to $78.53.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) saw its short interest increase to 22.84 million shares. The previous reading was 19.01 million, and it was the third lowest level of the year. The highest reading year to date was 82.90 million in late February. Shares closed Thursday at $15.56, in a 52-week range of $14.25 to $25.71.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) saw its short interest fall to 61.14 million shares from the previous reading of 62.86 million. Short interest is currently at one of its lowest levels of the year. Shares of Micron closed Thursday at $17.20, in a 52-week range of $13.50 to $36.59.

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SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) had its short interest decrease slightly for the late-August settlement date. The most recent reading was 16.51 million shares, compared to the previous reading of 17.04 million. Shares closed Thursday at $54.61, in a 52-week trading range of $44.28 to $106.64.

Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) saw its short interest increase to 9.96 million shares, versus the previous short interest level of 8.47 million. Note that Broadcom has entered into an agreement with Avago to be purchased for $37 billion. Shares closed Thursday at $52.46, in a 52-week range of $34.50 to $57.70.

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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.