Short Sellers and Options Traders Circle Today's Hot Movers

Options market signals are flashing across several names Monday evening, with short-squeeze risk and earnings catalysts driving unusual positioning.

CBRL — Cracker Barrel — jumped after the close on fresh news. The stock carries a striking short interest of 32.6% of free float. That level creates meaningful squeeze risk for anyone holding bearish options or short positions. The cost to borrow sits at just 2.59%, making it still cheap to short. But with SI availability at 100%, any bullish options surge could accelerate a rapid unwind.

STLD — Steel Dynamics — beat Q2 revenue expectations at $6.09B vs $5.57B estimated. EPS missed slightly at $3.69 vs $3.77. Shares popped after-hours anyway. Short interest is low at just 2.7% of float. Options traders positioning for earnings catalysts here had a clear directional read. The company expressed confidence in steel and aluminium demand through 2027.

Healthcare deal flow is also driving options attention. AHCO sold its diabetes unit to CAH for $235M in cash. AdaptHealth carries 9.5% SI of free float. That divestiture removes balance sheet risk and could trigger short covering. Cardinal Health's SI sits at just 2.7%.

Separately, FT reported traders are increasingly betting against SpaceX just weeks after its IPO, with shares already slipping below listing price. That crowded bearish trade in a newly listed name is a classic setup for volatility in the options market.

Chip stocks posted their worst week in over a year last week. Watch semis for elevated put activity as momentum unwinds continue.

This is not financial advice.