Bears Squeeze Into HTZ, WOLF, and LCID

Short sellers are piling deepest into a trio of well-known names this Friday. Wolfspeed tops the list of heavily shorted mid-caps at 87.5% of free float. Hertz Global Holdings sits at 73.5%, with a cost to borrow of 317%, an eye-watering annual rate that signals extreme bearish demand. Lucid Group follows at 66% short interest, with just 1.2% availability of SI remaining.

Hertz has seen short interest climb steadily over the past month, rising from 71.7% in early October to 73.5% now. The stock is up 45% over three months, yet shorts are not retreating. That divergence is worth watching.

Under Armour draws attention ahead of its earnings call. Short interest stands at 36% of free float, and analysts are cutting revenue forecasts. The stock carries zero share availability for new short positions.

Among notable movers this week, Avis Budget Group added 2.3 percentage points to reach 32.2% short interest. Huron Consulting rose 2.7 points to 8.4%.

On the index radar, SharkNinja's S&P 500 addition probability jumped from 39% to 64% overnight, per ORTEX Index Rebalance Radar. A confirmed inclusion would force $4.1 billion in tracker buying over 11.2 days of volume.

Humana is lightly shorted at 3.1% but faces earnings scrutiny. Medicare Advantage penetration hit a record 51.1% in July 2026, per ORTEX alt data, which may shape the outlook investors are watching ahead of the print.