Short Report: Short interest in JetBlue receding
Confident Investing Starts Here:
SHORT INTEREST GAINERS
Ortex-reported short interest on United Parks & Resorts (PRKS) hit its lowest level of two months at 19.4% on Monday, though bearish interest was piqued the rest of the week, with shorts as a percentage of free float jumping two points to 21.4%. Days-to-cover on the name has also turned higher, rising 60bps to 8.1, with volumes on the name remaining steady. Heading into the company's mid-May earnings, shares had erased all of the macro-induced declines seen in early April, though United's softer than expected earnings and revenue eventually saw price action pivot lower over the past month despite sell-side commentary attributing the underperformance to factors such as the weather. Shares are now down 12% from pre-earnings levels and were off by 1.5% in the five-day period covered. Year-to-date, the stock is also down about 26%.
Ortex-reported short interest on 800-Flowers (FLWS) has seen its upward slope steepen since January, and this week, bearish appetite was particularly pronounced. Shorts as a percentage of free float on the stock jumped from 57.8% to a new record high of 68.4%, topping last month's high-water mark of 67.5%, while days-to-cover on the name rose from 16.0 to 16.3. Likewise, the Ortex estimates are in step with exchange-reported data, which saw short interest on 800-Flowers hit record high above 73% as of May-end. In the five-day period covered through Thursday, the stock is up 1.4%, though year-to-date, shares have shed 38%, with the most recent decline in price reflecting the management's decision to pull guidance due to macro uncertainty.
Ortex-reported short interest on Kura Sushi (KRUS) troughed in the 16%-17% range over the mid-March to late-April period but has since turned higher, with bears still questioning the recent bounce in the stock price. This week, shorts as a percentage of free float was up three percentage points to 27.8%, a seven-month high, and days to cover jumped 100bps to 7.3. Exchange-reported data also support the Ortex estimate as it has seen short increase rise from 16.3% mid-April to 26.6% by May-end. In the five-day period covered through Thursday, the stock is up 7.1% and shares have doubled from April lows, though year-to-date, Kura Sushi is still down about 11%.
Following a surge during the month of March from 23% to 31%, Ortex-reported short interest on HighPeak Energy (HPK) retreated to 24% by late April. Following quieter May however, bears are biting into the name harder this week. In the five-day period covered through Thursday, shorts as a percentage of free float were up from 27.2% to roughly 30%. The stock price, meanwhile, has tracked the resurgence in optimism for the Energy sector. In the five-day period covered, HighPeak shares were up 7% and have now gained 44% from late-April lows. The stock is also up about 4% in early Friday trade, tracking the rally in oil prices.
Ortex-reported short interest in JetBlue Airways (JBLU) peaked around 23% in late April, though despite shares starting to roll over after gaining 16% over the month of May, bears have turned more skittish. Shorts as a percentage of free float were down three points this week to 17.5% and days-to-cover on the name was down a decimal to 3.2. Exchange-reported data through May-end has likewise shown a drop from 20.6% to 17.3%. The stock, meanwhile, was down 2.9% in the five-day period covered and has traded off by another 4% in the opening hour of Friday session, with airlines bearing the brunt of an oil price shock following Israel's surprise strike against Iran overnight as well as more cautious sentiment following Air India Boeing crash yesterday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
5 Simple ETFs to Buy With $1,000 and Hold for a Lifetime
Key Points The Vanguard 500 ETF is a solid core holding nearly any investor should own. The Vanguard Growth ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust are two great growth ETFs. The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF is great for those seeking a solid yield. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard S&P 500 ETF › When it comes to building long-term wealth, often times simplicity works best. You don't need to chase the hottest stock or time the market. What you do need are a few core positions you can buy, hold, and consistently dollar-cost average into. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are one of the best investments to do just that. Here are five ETFs that I think are perfect for long-term investors. You don't need to own all of them, but if you've got $1,000 to put to work, any of these would be a smart place to start. Just remember that $1,000 is just a starting point, and it's best to consistently invest into ETFs each month over time. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF If I could only pick one ETF to hold for the next 30 years, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) would be it. It tracks the 500 largest companies in the U.S., essentially giving you a slice of the entire U.S. economy. You get instant exposure to the market's biggest companies, which also just so happen to be some of the market's biggest winners. The ETF's expense ratio also incredibly low. It's just 0.03%, which means nearly every dollar you put into the fund is working for you. Over the past 10 years, it's produced an average annual return of around 13.6%, as of the end of June. That kind of consistency makes it one of the most reliable long-term investments out there. Vanguard Growth ETF If you want to lean more into tech and high-growth names, the Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: VUG) is the investment for you. It still gives you broad exposure to large-cap stocks, but it focuses on companies with strong earnings and sales growth. That means you're getting more exposure to companies like Nvidia and Amazon. The ETF, which follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, currently holds around 165 stocks. The ETF's focus on growth has paid off with market-beating returns. Over the past 10 years, the Vanguard Growth ETF has returned an average of 16.2% annually, as of the end of June, easily outpacing the broader market. With an expense ratio of just 0.04%, it's also cost-effective. You're not getting the same diversification as the S&P 500, which means you could see more volatility at times. However, if you believe tech and innovation will continue to lead the market -- and I do -- this is a solid way to get more exposure without having to pick winners yourself. Invesco QQQ Trust Another simple, growth-oriented ETF to own is the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ). The ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100, which includes the 100 largest non-financial stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Not surprisingly, that means it is heavily concentrated in tech and consumer names. This ETF has consistently been one of the best performers out there. Over the past 10 years, it's returned 18.7% annually, as of the end of June. Even more impressive is that it's outperformed the S&P 500 more than 87% of the time on a rolling-12-month basis over the past decade. That type of performance is hard to ignore. Its top holdings read like a who's who of Silicon Valley: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and Alphabet, to name a few. That said, the weightings of its top holdings are a bit more spread out than some other tech-heavy ETFs, including the Vanguard Growth ETF. It does carry a slightly higher expense ratio at 0.2%, but for the performance you're getting, it's more than fair. If you're comfortable with a little more volatility in exchange for long-term upside, the Invesco QQQ Trust should be on your short list of ETFs to buy right now. Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF While technology is a hot sector, not every investor is looking to go all-in on tech stocks. For investors with more interest in income and value stocks, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHD) is a great option. It tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which is focused on companies with strong dividend histories and solid fundamentals. It also has a low expense ratio of just 0.06%. The ETF currently has a yield of nearly 4%, giving investors a solid source of income. This fund isn't just investing in high-yield stocks, though; it is looking for ones that have strong track records of consistently increasing their dividends over time. While the ETF has not been putting up the same type of performance as growth-stock oriented ETFs, it has still been a solid performer. It has generated an average annual return, including dividends, of 11.2%, as of the end of June. That's better than most value-focused ETFs over the same stretch. If you're building a portfolio for retirement or just want a ballast in a growth-heavy portfolio, the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF fits the bill. Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF The simple fact is that most investors are underexposed to international stocks. The Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (NASDAQ: VYMI) can help fix that predicament. This ETF focuses on non-U.S. companies with above-average dividend yields. Over 40% of its portfolio is in European names, with the rest split between Asia-Pacific and emerging markets. It's been the second-best-performing ETF in Vanguard's lineup so far this year, up 20.7% as of July 16, trailing only one that solely focuses on Europe. It's also been Vanguard's top-performing international-focused ETF over the past five years, with an average annual return of around 14.5%, as of the end of June. That's impressive given how long international markets have lagged the U.S. If you're looking to round out your portfolio with some international exposure, the Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF is worth owning. Its expense ratio of 0.17% is higher than most Vanguard ETFs, but that is typical of international-focused ETFs. Should you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF right now? Before you buy stock in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alphabet, Invesco QQQ Trust, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia, Vanguard Index Funds-Vanguard Growth ETF, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 5 Simple ETFs to Buy With $1,000 and Hold for a Lifetime was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Trading this fintech giant using options ahead of earnings
Chevron completing the acquisition of Hess following a legal battle with Exxon Mobil opened up a space for a new constituent of the S & P 500 to be added: Jack Dorsey's fintech giant Block (XYZ). Shares jumped nearly 9% on the news Friday and traded roughly 2½ times the average daily options volume, with calls outpacing puts by well over 4:1. Perhaps overshadowed by more recent fintech players more closely associated with crypto, including Block, PayPal remains a dominant player in the digital payments industry. It has an extensive network of over 426 million active accounts, 35 million merchant accounts and global reach. PayPal generates substantial revenue, with total payment volume reaching $1.5 trillion over the trailing 12 months, and adjusted revenue approaching $32 billion for the past year. Its asset-light model and 19% free cash flow margins enable significant share repurchasing. The current program authorizes open market share repurchases of more than 20% of the float at current market prices. Recent strategic partnerships with Adyen , Fiserv , Shopify and Amazon enhance PayPal's market penetration and integration, particularly through Venmo's acceptance at Amazon checkouts. Innovations like Fastlane, a guest checkout solution, and the PayPal USD stablecoin (PYUSD) demonstrate a commitment to capturing emerging trends in e-commerce and cryptocurrency. PayPal's strong brand, high merchant acceptance (76% among top North American and European retailers) and focus on personalization further solidify its competitive moat. As digital commerce continues to grow, PayPal appears well-positioned to capitalize on secular trends for investors seeking exposure to fintech. Despite its strengths, PayPal trades at less than 15 times its FY adjusted EPS estimates of $5.08 per share. Why is that? For one thing, the company's growth has slowed. Consensus estimates for topline growth are just under 3% for FY2025, although a better-than-GDP growth of 5.8% is estimated for FY2026. These growth figures are considerably lower than the company achieved every year over the past decade. Competition from Apple Pay, Google Pay, Block's Cash App and agile platforms like Klarna and Adyen threatens PayPal's market share, particularly as younger demographics prefer alternatives. A Piper Sandler survey ranked PayPal fourth among teens. As earnings approach, however, PayPal is trading at a historic discount to the broader market, trading near all-time highs and at its own historical multiples. The options market is also seeing an above-average move. As I write this, the options market expects the stock to move 8.7% higher or lower by Aug. 1 expiration (which captures earnings on July 29). Down 12% year to date, PayPal has materially underperformed. However, several technical indicators suggest it could be due for a bounce. Perhaps earnings will be the catalyst? The trade A calendar call/spread risk reversal aims to capitalize on the "vol crush" that typically follows earnings, a trade we favor if 1) options prices are fair to over-priced and 2) we have a directional bias - in this case, playing for a bounce. One example is a purchase of calls close to "at-the-money" that expire after the expected Q3 earnings report in late October, as follows: DISCLOSURES: None. All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer.
an hour ago
Wall Street rises toward records as Verizon begins a big week for profit reports with a beat
NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks are rising toward more records on Monday ahead of a week full of profit updates from big U.S. companies, which Wall Street expects to keep growing despite pressure from President Donald Trump's tariffs. The S&P 500 was 0.5% higher in morning trading and above its all-time high set on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 153 points, or 0.3%, as of 10:05 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was adding 0.7% to its own record. Verizon Communications helped lead the way and rose 3.3%. The telecom reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, along with higher revenue than forecast. Following the strong performance, Verizon raised its forecasts for profit and other financial measures for the full year. It helped offset a 2.1% drop for Domino's Pizza, which reported a profit for the spring that came up short of analysts' expectations. Block, Jack Dorsey's company behind Square, Cash App and other tech brands, jumped 8.2% in its first trading after learning it will join the widely followed and imitated S&P 500 index. It will take the place of Hess, which Chevron bought, before trading begins on Wednesday. Cleveland-Cliffs climbed 6.6% after the steel producer reported a smaller loss for the spring than analysts expected. It shipped a record 4.3 million net tons of steel during the quarter, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said the company has begun to see 'the positive impact that tariffs have on domestic manufacturing' and other things. It's a major supplier to the auto industry, and Trump's tariffs steer companies hoping to sell cars in the United States toward steel made in the country. Other companies, though, are navigating the downsides and complications of tariffs, which raise prices on all kinds of things imported to the United States. That includes General Motors, which will report its latest profit results later this week, along with such market heavyweights as Alphabet, Coca-Cola and Tesla. Many of Trump's stiff proposed tariffs are currently on pause after Trump extended the deadline for talks with other countries in order to give more time to reach potential trade deals that could lower the tax rates. The next big deadline, at least for now, is Aug. 1. It's still early days in this earnings reporting season, but most big U.S. companies have been topping analysts' expectations, as is usually the case. Some encouraging undertones may also be emerging. An upward inflection in demand for travel that United Airlines said it's seen recently, combined with better-than-expected data on U.S. retail sales, may indicate that U.S. consumers remain in decent health, Bank of America strategist Savita Subramanian said in a BofA Global Research report. That would continue a strong leg of support for the economy. In the bond market, Treasury yields eased. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.35% from 4.44% late Friday. In stock markets abroad, indexes slipped across much of Europe after finishing modestly higher in much of Asia. Markets were closed for a holiday in Japan, where the ruling Liberal Democrats have lost their coalition majorities in both houses of parliament for the first time since 1955 following Sunday's upper house election and the loss of their lower house majority in October. A grim Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to stay on after the drubbing by voters frustrated over rising prices and political instability. Analysts said they expect his weakened government to crank up spending, adding to Japan's huge debt burden.
