Bears Target Hertz, GME as SI Climbs

Short sellers stepped up pressure on HTZ this week. Short interest in Hertz hit 69.6% of free float — up 5.3 percentage points in just seven days. That's one of the biggest weekly jumps among mid-cap US names. Availability of shares to borrow has fallen to zero, signalling lenders are running dry.

GME is back in focus too. GameStop's SI % FF climbed to 15.7%, adding 2 percentage points over the week. The meme stock favourite draws renewed attention whenever short sellers pile in, given its history of explosive squeezes.

Among larger-cap names, CHWY stands out. Nearly 98.5% of Chewy's free float is estimated short — an eye-watering figure for a $9.6B company. Bears remain sceptical of its path to sustained profitability.

Chip maker WOLF also stays firmly in the crosshairs. Wolfspeed carries 79.6% SI % FF with zero shares available to borrow. Down 42% in three months, shorts show no sign of retreating.

MGM Resorts drew fresh bearish interest this week. Its SI % FF rose 2.4 points to 13.6%, suggesting casino sector concerns are growing.

SOUN SoundHound AI carries 42.9% SI with a short score of 81 — bears remain unconvinced by AI-audio growth promises.

Data as of 11 August 2026. Not financial advice.