Potential short squeeze plays gained steam in 2021, with new retail traders looking for the next huge move.
A short squeeze can occur when a heavily shorted stock rises in value instead of falling. Short sellers could be looking to close out their position and can face a loss if they have to buy back the shares they initially borrowed at a higher price.
A squeeze can occur when short sellers are forced into buying to cover their position, which can cause shares to move up higher on many occasions.
Fintel Data, which requires a subscription, provides a look at several of the top shorted stocks and how likely a short squeeze is to occur. Here’s a look at the top five short squeeze candidates for the week of July 11:
The Singing Machine Company: Karaoke audio equipment company The Singing Machine Company (NASDAQ: MICS) tops the short squeeze leaderboard for the week. Shares of the company have risen from $5.50 to $8 in the last month. Fintel data shows 80.3% of the company’s float short and a cost to borrow of 106.5%, a combination that could suggest a short squeeze.
AeroClean Technologies: Air sanitization company AeroClean Technologies (NASDAQ: AERC) is no stranger to the short squeeze leaderboard and comes in second place to start the week. Data shows 40.3% of the company’s float short and a cost to borrow of 320.9%, among the highest for the week. The company has been listed as a COVID-19 play with sanitization solutions for hospitals, offices and businesses against the virus.
Revlon: Cosmetics company Revlon Inc. (NYSE: REV) continues to rank high on the short squeeze leaderboard. The company, which declared bankruptcy in June, has 53.9% of its float short and a cost to borrow of 894.0%, one of the highest figures on record. Shares of Revlon traded at under $5 prior to declaring bankruptcy and quickly fell to under $2. Shares have since rebounded and now trade higher than they did prior to the bankruptcy filing.
Applied UV: Infection control company Applied UV Inc. (NASDAQ: AUVI) ranks fourth on the leaderboard with 36.9% of the float short and a cost to borrow of 181.2%. The company offers disinfectant systems for public use and hospitals.
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust: Mall owner and operator Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE: PEI) ranks fifth on the leaderboard for the week. Data shows 393.2% of the float short, which may be elevated due to a reverse split. The cost to borrow on shares is 10.1%.
Related Link: 5 Short Squeeze Candidates To Watch This Week: Redbox And Chicken Soup For The Soul Both In Top Five
Other Stocks To Watch: Past the top five short squeeze candidates, two stocks made big jumps this week into the top 15 and could be short squeeze candidates in the future.
Outdoor cooking company Weber Inc. (NYSE: WEBR) jumped 31 positions to 11th place. Data shows 58.2% of the float short and a cost to borrow of 60.3%.
Software company MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ: MSTR) jumped 44 positions to 12th place on the leaderboard. Data shows 37.1% of the float short and a cost to borrow of 10.6%. The company is a large holder of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and a popular short candidate for those believing the price of the leading cryptocurrency will keep falling.
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