Verizon Communications Inc.
NYSEVerizon Communications saw short sellers retreat sharply, with short interest dropping 22% over the past week to 88.4 million shares as of March 31st. The decline continues a broader unwinding that has seen bets against the telecom giant fall nearly 20% over the past month. Days to cover currently sits at 3.04, down from 3.84 two weeks ago. This metric measures how long it would take short sellers to close their positions based on average daily volume. The decline suggests shorts are facing less friction if they choose to exit. Cost to borrow remains negligible at 0.38%, up just 12% week-over-week. Utilization hovers at a mere 1.2%, well below the 52-week high of 5.5% reached earlier this year. Both figures indicate ample shares available for shorting with minimal competition. The options market shows a put-call ratio of 0.86, slightly above the 20-day average of 0.85. This reflects modestly bearish sentiment, though nothing extreme by historical standards. Verizon shares closed at $46.27 on April 21st, down 0.4% on the day but up 1.7% for the week. The stock has fallen 7.4% over the past month as the broader telecom sector faces headwinds. The company reports earnings on April 27th. Short sellers appear to be reducing exposure ahead of the quarterly results, potentially taking profits after a sustained run-up in bearish positioning earlier this year. With short interest now at its lowest level since mid-February, the recent unwinding suggests bears are less convinced of further downside in the near term. --- This is not financial advice. ORTEX data may contain inaccuracies.
Verizon Short Interest Plunges 22% in One Week
Verizon Communications saw short sellers retreat sharply, with short interest dropping 22% over the past week to 88.4 million shares as of March 31st. The decline continues a broader unwinding that has seen bets against the telecom giant fall nearly 20% over the past month. Days to cover currently sits at 3.04, down from 3.84 two weeks ago. This metric measures how long it would take short sellers to close their positions based on average daily volume. The decline suggests shorts are facing less friction if they choose to exit. Cost to borrow remains negligible at 0.38%, up just 12% week-over-week. Utilization hovers at a mere 1.2%, well below the 52-week high of 5.5% reached earlier this year. Both figures indicate ample shares available for shorting with minimal competition. The options market shows a put-call ratio of 0.86, slightly above the 20-day average of 0.85. This reflects modestly bearish sentiment, though nothing extreme by historical standards. Verizon shares closed at $46.27 on April 21st, down 0.4% on the day but up 1.7% for the week. The stock has fallen 7.4% over the past month as the broader telecom sector faces headwinds. The company reports earnings on April 27th. Short sellers appear to be reducing exposure ahead of the quarterly results, potentially taking profits after a sustained run-up in bearish positioning earlier this year. With short interest now at its lowest level since mid-February, the recent unwinding suggests bears are less convinced of further downside in the near term. --- This is not financial advice. ORTEX data may contain inaccuracies.
Snapshot as of 9 Aug 2026
A new long-form analysis for VZ this week — anomalies vs the company's own history, peer comparisons, news context, and the full data picture. Premium subscribers only.
Read on ORTEX →Sign up for premiumVerizon reports Q2 results on July 24 with the most call-heavy options setup of the past year — and short sellers quietly covering — even as analysts continue to chip away at their targets. The options signal is the…
Verizon heads into its July 24 Q2 print with options traders turning notably more bullish — a divergence from the cautious analyst tone that defined last week's preview. The shift in options positioning is the standout…
Verizon enters its July 24 Q2 report with analysts cutting targets even as short sellers continue their quiet retreat — a divergence that frames the pre-earnings setup neatly. The analyst story has turned incrementally…
VZ heads into its July 24 Q2 earnings report with short sellers backing away and the Street ambivalent — but a fresh analyst trim from Barclays this morning adds a note of caution to what had otherwise been a cleaner…
VZ enters the week ahead of its July 24 earnings with a notable divergence: the stock closed flat on the week at $46.73 while close telecom peers broadly sold off, with T dropping 6.3%, CMCSA falling 8.9%, and SHEN…
VZ heads into the summer with a notable disconnect: the stock has shed 4.4% in a week while the Street's mean price target sits roughly 13% higher, yet almost no analyst is willing to call it a Buy. The pricing…
Verizon Communications heads into its May 21 Q1 results with a rare combination: a stock that has largely been left alone by short sellers, but where analysts remain broadly cautious despite a steady stream of…
VZ reports Q1 earnings April 27 with short interest down sharply and low borrow costs. Options market shows neutral sentiment as the stock recovers from a month-long slide. Short interest stands at 90.3 million shares,…
Short interest updated daily, real-time options flow, analyst consensus deltas, 13F positioning, ORTEX Alpha signals, and every article ORTEX publishes for VZ — free to start on ORTEX.
Sign up for free →Open VZ on ORTEX