Versum Materials (VSM) Short Interest Ratio & Short Volume

Short interest is the volume of Versum Materials shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. As of September 15th, traders have sold 10,570,000 shares of VSM short. 9.74% of Versum Materials' shares are currently sold short. Learn More on Versum Materials' 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. VSM shares currently have a short interest ratio of 14.0. Learn More on Versum Materials's short interest ratio.

Companies that have a short interest as a percentage of float below 10% indicates positive investor sentiment and few short sellers. Stocks with a short interest percentage above 10% is considered high, suggesting some investors are pessimistic about the stock. Companies with a short interest percentage of 20% or more indicates widespread negative sentiment. 9.74% of Versum Materials' floating shares are currently sold short.

Versum Materials saw a decline in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 10,570,000 shares, a decline of 2.2% from the previous total of 10,810,000 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.

Versum Materials currently has issued a total of 109,270,000 shares. Some of Versum Materials' outstanding shares are available for trading, while others are subject to various restrictions. The public float, also referred to as floating shares or "the float", are shares that publicly owned, unrestricted and available to trade on the open market. Versum Materials currently has a public float of 108,500,000 shares.

9.74% of Versum Materials' shares are currently sold short. Here is how the short interest of companies in the sector of "basic materials" compare to Versum Materials: Element Solutions Inc (1.61%), Cabot Co. (2.91%), Alamos Gold Inc. (0.82%), NewMarket Co. (1.84%), Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (1.67%), ICL Group Ltd (0.23%), Valvoline Inc. (4.87%), West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (1.17%), ATI Inc. (5.07%), Commercial Metals (2.11%),

As of the most recent reporting period, the following stocks had the largest short interest positions: Block, Inc. ($2.11 billion), McCormick & Company, Incorporated ($1.33 billion), Zoom Video Communications, Inc. ($870.07 million), TAL Education Group ($769.71 million), Alteryx, Inc. ($684.01 million), Versum Materials Inc ($551.44 million), Pinterest, Inc. ($421.38 million), Stitch Fix, Inc. ($354.92 million), II-VI Incorporated ($351.47 million), and Zogenix, Inc. ($346.69 million). View all of the most shorted stocks.

Short selling VSM is an investing strategy that aims to generate trading profit from Versum Materials 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 Versum Materials occurs when it has a large amount of short interest and its stock appreciates in price. This forces short sellers to cover their short interest positions by buying actual shares of VSM, 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 VSM, twice per month. The most recent reporting period available is September, 15 2019.