Bears, Buyers, and Big Prints: Friday Wrap

Bears Pile In at Quarter-End

Short sellers have been active into the final days of Q2. WBI (WaterBridge Infrastructure) saw its short interest explode from 32% to nearly 73% of free float in just seven days. WOLF (Wolfspeed) remains the most extreme case — SI sits at 117% of free float with zero shares left to borrow. CBRS (Cerebras Systems) also drew fresh bears this week, with SI climbing six points to 38% of free float.

Insiders Hit the Exit

Over $1.6 billion in insider sales were filed across major US names. NVDA director Mark Stevens filed $410M in sales near recent highs. The Walton family trust trimmed $793M in WMT shares. Seven AMAT executives filed sales on the same day, with CEO Gary Dickerson alone accounting for more than $45M. The scale and timing suggest insiders are taking profits after a strong run.

Airlines Get a Boost

Barclays upgraded both UAL and LUV to Buy today. United got a $175 price target. Southwest received $65. The calls appear timed around a summer travel recovery thesis. Custodian banks STT, NTRS, and BNY also saw target price increases, benefiting from higher-for-longer rate expectations.

Earnings Week Ahead

NKE reports Tuesday after the close. Tariff impacts on margins are the key focus. Options show elevated put positioning into the print. SNOW also faces an options market skewed heavily toward downside protection. GIS reports Wednesday. UK retailer CURY and Canadian media firm CJR.B also feature on the calendar. It is a busy close to the first half.