The lending pool for SKK has nearly dried up. Availability has collapsed as short demand exploded — and with earnings eight days away, the pressure shows no sign of easing.
Short shares outstanding hit 280,384 as of May 6. That is a 581% jump in one week and a 1,138% rise over the past month.
The cost to borrow has tracked that climb. CTB now sits at 378% APR — up 53% in a week. A year ago this month, CTB was running in the 212–245% range. The current rate is the highest in the available 30-day window.
Availability has tightened to match. With utilization at 93.37% — the highest level in 52 weeks — only roughly one share remains available for every 15 already out on loan. That is a very tight lending market. Three weeks ago, on April 7, utilization sat at just 0.79%. The move from near-zero to 52-week extreme has taken less than a month.
The ORTEX short score for SKK reached 81.3 on May 6, up from 56.4 on April 24. That 12-day climb is steep. The short score incorporates cost to borrow, availability, short interest trajectory, and related signals into a single composite. A reading above 80 places SKK in the top tier of short-side pressure across the market — the factor score ranks it for short score among all tracked names.
The stock itself has moved sharply. SKK closed at $5.82 on May 6, up 229% over the past week and 145% over the past month. When price rockets and borrow cost surges simultaneously, the feedback loop between long buyers and trapped shorts can amplify moves in both directions.
SKK is scheduled to report earnings on May 15. That date matters. The last four earnings prints each produced negative reactions: –14% in one day after April 2026 results, –8% after May 2025 results, –1% after October 2025, and –1% after December 2024. The five-day windows were worse, ranging from –10% to –22%.
Short sellers building positions now face both the cost of carry at 378% APR and the risk of a disorderly unwind if the price continues to move against them before expiry.
What to watch: Whether availability tightens further toward zero in the days ahead of the May 15 earnings print — and whether CTB climbs above 400% APR as short demand competes for a shrinking borrow pool.
See the live data behind this article on ORTEX.
Open SKK on ORTEX →ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
