Three distinct signals on GNK converged this week. All three point in the same direction.
The put/call ratio hit 0.0601 on May 18 — the lowest reading on record for Genco Shipping & Trading. It has stayed near that floor, closing at 0.064 on May 21. The 20-day average stands at 0.156. Options traders have all but abandoned puts. Calls dominate the open interest mix to a degree not seen before in this name.
The PCR z-score sits at -1.48 against the 20-day mean. For context, the 52-week PCR high was 1.37. The shift from that level to today's 0.064 represents a near-total reversal in options sentiment.
Short interest fell 10.7% over the past week to 2.4% of free float. It has dropped 5.3% over the past month. At this level, short positioning is benign — roughly one share short for every 42 in the free float. The retreat is steady, not panicked, but the direction is clear.
Cost to borrow rose 72% over the past week to 0.84%. That sounds dramatic. The availability data puts it in context: availability stands at 2,066% — meaning there are roughly 20 shares available to lend for every one currently borrowed. The lending market is wide open. The CTB move reflects re-pricing by lenders, not a shortage of supply. Shorts who want in face no structural barrier.
Diana Shipping, GNK's largest shareholder at 14.4%, sold 148,603 shares in its most recent filing and has continued selling this month — 90,000 shares across four transactions between May 14 and May 18, totalling over $2.4M. That's a counterweight to the bullish options read. BlackRock, meanwhile, added 691,639 shares as of April 30, making it the third-largest holder at 8.9%.
The ORTEX short score has eased from 37.8 on May 18 to 34.3 on May 20, consistent with the broader short-side retreat. The stock's overall ORTEX score recently hit a six-month high of 81, driven by momentum (90) and improving growth metrics.
Data summary
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