Bears Double Down: HTZ, CHWY, WOLF Under Fire

Short sellers are making bold moves this week. Three popular names are drawing heavy bearish attention as ORTEX data reveals some of the sharpest short interest jumps in recent sessions.

HTZ — Hertz Global Holdings — is now the most-shorted stock on the move list. SI hit 75% of free float, up nearly 5 points in just seven days. Shares to borrow are essentially gone: availability sits at 0%. That's a very crowded short with no easy exit for latecomers.

CHWY is right behind. Chewy's short interest climbed to 72.4% of FF, rising 5.8 points this week. Bears appear sceptical ahead of earnings season, with the stock already carrying significant debt from the pandemic era.

WOLF is a standout bear target. Wolfspeed's SI reached 80% of FF — one of the highest readings for any mid-cap stock. Cost to borrow has risen to 6.6% APR and availability is zero. The semiconductor firm's chip business remains under pressure, fuelling persistent short bets.

The week's biggest surprise: CLBK — Columbia Financial. SI rocketed +22.3 points in one week, from 5.3% to 27.6% of FF. That kind of jump in a regional bank stock is unusual and worth watching.

LUCK — Lucky Strike Entertainment — carries a massive 47-day DTC, signalling it could take weeks for shorts to unwind. Bears circle, but a squeeze risk lurks.

This is not financial advice.