Mobileye Short Interest Rises to 25.7%

Welcome to this week's installment of "The Short Interest Report" - The Fly's weekly recap of short interest trends among some of the most widely followed high-short-float stocks. Using the data from our partner, which utilizes the latest information from stock lenders to estimate short interest changes for thousands of publicly traded companies, this report will screen for some of biggest changes in short interest as a percentage of free float and days-to-cover ratios while also considering the short interest data on some of the more volatile and heavier-traded names of the week. Based on the availability of data from Ortex, the report tracks the trading period that covers prior Friday through Thursday of this week, excluding holidays. As a basis of comparison for stocks discussed below, the S&P 500 index was up 0.8%, the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.1%, the Russell 2000 index was down 2.4%, the Russell 2000 Growth ETFwas down 3.1%, and the Russell 2000 Value ETFwas down 1.6% in the five-day trading session range through January 29.SHORT INTEREST GAINERSFollowing a week-long plateau in the first week of January which coincided with some aggressive buying of the stock following its acquisition of Mentee - along with a hardly-well-timed upgrade from JPMorgan - Ortex-reported short interest on Mobileyehas been rising for three consecutive weeks just as the stock sharply reversed those gains. This week, shorts as a percentage of free float rose from 22% to 25.7% - a three-month high. Days-to-cover on the name was little changed at 2.9 however, reflecting significant increase in trading activity this year. Shares of Mobileye were also down about 12% in the five-day period covered through Thursday and, along with Friday's 3% drop, the stock is now down 14% year-to-date.Ortex-reported short interest on Cheesecake Factorytroughed around 17% in mid-January, though this week, bearish positioning on the name has exploded to the upside. Shorts as a percentage of free float in the stock jumped from 17.7% to 21.5% - a three-month high – while days-to-cover nudged higher to 16.0 from 15.0, all despite relatively little fluctuation in trading volume and the absence of any news catalysts. The stock was down just 0.7% in the five-day period covered and has largely preserved its strong 15% start to 2026, which is also the best performance in the Restaurant group among stocks with a market cap over $2B.Ortex-reported short interest in Sphere Entertainmenthad fallen to 17-month low of about 24% early in the week but spiked to a one-month high above 28% on Tuesday, remaining level for the balance of the week. Days-to-cover on the name is down slightly at 7.1 vs. 7.4 prior. Sphere Entertainment has celebrated a $260M ticket sales milestone for it Wizard of Oz showcase in Las Vegas earlier this month, and the stock has had an impressive and rapid run-up of over 150% from its mid-August lows before this week's 2.1% slide in the five-day period covered, with increase in bearishness potentially indicative of greater reluctance to spend on entertainment – even at the higher end of the scale - among consumers, as well as the reluctance among investors to underwrite the risk for a loss-making company.SHORT INTEREST DECLINERSOrtex-reported short interest in Navitas Semiconductorhad peaked in the first week of December just shy of 30% and has tracked south into the mid-20s through the third week of January, though over the past few days, bearish positioning has been culled more aggressively. This week, shorts as a percentage of free float on the name was down from 23.6% to about 17% - the lowest level since mid-June. Days-to-cover on Navitas was little changed around 2.3%, balancing the increase in trading volume so far this year against the roll-off in mid-October trading volume spike that also coincided with the stock doubling over a period of just one week. Shares of Navitas were off by 16.2% in the five-day period covered through Thursday, though year-to-date, the chip stock is still up about 20%.