Super Micro Computer tops list of most shorted large-cap stocks in July, Hazeltree says

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) replaced Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) as the most shorted large-cap stock in the Americas in July, according to a monthly report issued by data and tech firm Hazeltree.

The San Jose, California-based tech firm topped the list as the most crowded security in the large-cap category with a score of 99, moving up from its position in June (82). The Hazeltree Crowdedness Score represents securities that are being shorted by the highest percentage of funds in Hazeltree’s community.

As of July 31, traders sold 5.41M shares of SMCI short, representing 9.67% of shares shorted.

Tesla (TSLA), which had been the most crowded security in this category since May, dropped to a score of 94, falling just behind Chevron (CVX), which scored 97.

“Semiconductor firms appear to be a focus among short sellers right now,” said Tim Smith, managing director of data insights at Hazeltree. “Last month we saw multiple semiconductor securities in the top 10 list, and this month’s report shows Super Micro Computer and Microchip Technologies maintained staying power in the most crowded shorted securities.”

Super Micro (SMCI) also had the highest institutional supply utilization rate of 22.85% – an indicator of how “hot” a security is in terms of the supply-demand dynamic. This figure represents the percentage of the institutional investors’ supply of a particular security that is being lent out.

These were the top 10 most shorted securities in the Americas in July 2024, according to Hazeltree:

#1 Super Micro Computer (SMCI): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 99

#2 Chevron (CVX): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 97

#3 Tesla (TSLA): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 94

#4 Charter Communications (CHTR): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 84

#5: Microchip Technology (MCHP): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 81

#6 Boeing (BA): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 81

#7 Accenture (ACN): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 81

#8 IBM (IBM): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 78

#9 Synopsys (SNPS): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 78

#10 Ford (F): Hazeltree Crowdedness Score of 76