Varian Medical Systems (VAR) Short Interest Ratio & Short Volume

Short interest is the volume of Varian Medical Systems shares that have been sold short but have not yet been closed out or covered. As of March 31st, investors have sold 2,600,000 shares of VAR short. Learn More on Varian Medical Systems' current short interest.

The short interest ratio, also known as the "days to cover ratio", is calculated by dividing the number of shares of a stock sold short divided by its average trading volume. A short interest ratio ranging between 1 and 4 generally indicates strong positive sentiment about a stock and a lack of short sellers. A short interest ratio of 10 or greater indicates strong pessimism about a stock. VAR shares currently have a short interest ratio of 4.0. Learn More on Varian Medical Systems's short interest ratio.

Varian Medical Systems saw a decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,600,000 shares, a decline of 11.9% from the previous total of 2,950,000 shares. Changes in short volume can be used to identify positive and negative investor sentiment. Investors that short sell a stock are betting that its price will decline in the future. An increase in short sale volume suggests bearish (negative) sentiment among investors. A decrease on short sale volume suggests bullish (positive) sentiment.

Here is how the short interest of companies in the sector of "medical" compare to Varian Medical Systems: Masimo Co. (8.67%), Avantor, Inc. (4.32%), Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (2.29%), BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (1.62%), Hologic, Inc. (1.92%), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (1.03%), The Cooper Companies, Inc. (1.10%), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (2.32%), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2.22%), Waters Co. (6.42%),

As of the most recent reporting period, the following stocks had the largest short interest positions: Analog Devices, Inc. ($5.58 billion), Charter Communications, Inc. ($5.48 billion), Aon plc ($5.31 billion), Airbnb, Inc. ($3.01 billion), Snap Inc. ($2.99 billion), Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. ($2.56 billion), The Kroger Co. ($2.29 billion), Expedia Group, Inc. ($2.23 billion), Peloton Interactive, Inc. ($2.19 billion), and GameStop Corp. ($2.03 billion). View all of the most shorted stocks.

Short selling VAR is an investing strategy that aims to generate trading profit from Varian Medical Systems as its price is falling. To short a stock, an investor borrows shares, sells them and buys the shares back on the public market later to return it to the lender. Short sellers are betting that a stock will decline in price. If the stock does drop after selling, the short seller buys it back at a lower price and returns it to the lender. The difference between the sell price and the buy price is the trader's profit.

A short squeeze for Varian Medical Systems occurs when it has a large amount of short interest and its stock increases in price. This forces short sellers to cover their short interest positions by buying actual shares of VAR, which in turn drives the price of the stock up even further.

Short interest is typically published by a stock exchange once per month. However, NASDAQ publishes a report for U.S. stocks, including VAR, twice per month. The most recent reporting period available is March, 31 2021.