Short Interest Monitor: ASTS, LYFT, RIOT

The latest edition of the Short Interest Monitor features a broad mix of equities, including a few high-flying satellite communications stocks, multiple struggling software plays, and even several household names like Macy's (M) and Lyft (LYFT).

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) is worth highlighting amid the recent surge in space-related stocks. Shares of the Texas-based satellite maker skyrocketed in 2024 and 2025 due to rising demand for its space-based cellular broadband network. But after reaching a record high of over $120 per share in January, ASTS has struggled. In April, short sellers began ramping up their bets against the company after its BlueBird 7 satellite failed to reach the correct low-Earth orbit. Valuation and cash burn concerns may have also led some bearish investors to speculate on the stock's downfall. In the final two weeks of April, ASTS' short interest rose 11% from the previous FINRA reporting period, resulting in 12.7% of its outstanding shares to be sold short as of May 12. Disappointing first-quarter earnings on May 11 only added to the pain for ASTS shareholders. The company missed Wall Street's revenue and earnings per share estimates, losing $0.66 per share on revenue of just $14.7 million.

Short sellers also continued to target Lyft (LYFT) in the final two weeks of April. The rideshare company has been under pressure amid intense competition with Uber Technologies (UBER), slowing ride growth, and fears of potential disruption from driverless alternatives. LYFT saw short interest rise 19.1% in late April compared to the prior reporting period. More than 22% of the company's outstanding shares were sold short as of May 12 and its days to cover metric hit 7.06. LYFT's May 7 first-quarter earnings report was relatively strong, however. Revenues grew 14% year over year to $1.7 billion, while the company's active rider base grew 17% to 28.3 million.

The bitcoin miner and data center infrastructure provider RIOT Platforms (RIOT) was another short seller favorite in late April. In its April 16 earnings release, the company announced that it produced 1,473 bitcoin in the first quarter but sold 3,778 as it continues to shift away from cryptocurrency mining and toward AI data center production. RIOT also announced a deal with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to supply data center capacity for the next decade. Shares of RIOT were up than 60% year to date through mid-May, but valuation concerns and issues with its bitcoin mining business may have led short sellers to target the stock. RIOT's short interest spiked 16.3% in the final two weeks of April versus the prior reporting period; more than 16% of its shares were sold short as of May 12.

Check out the table below to see the complete Short Interest Monitor, which includes 10 equities with elevated and rising short interest. Each stock has a market cap of at least $2 billion and short interest that represents at least 10% of its outstanding shares.

As always, there were a few high-profile stocks with rising short interest that didn't make our list but have made headlines in recent weeks.

Barclays PLC (BCS) saw its short interest rise 83% from the prior reporting period in late April. The short seller interest came after Barclays revealed on April 28 that it set aside £823 million for loan loss provisions in the first quarter—the highest quarterly figure since 2020—due in part to exposure to the collapse of the UK property lender Market Financial Solutions (MFS). MFS, which allegedly fabricated loans and double-pledged assets, owed roughly £500 million to Barclays prior to its collapse, according to High Court documents.

Although rising oil prices amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz have buoyed many energy stocks in recent months, the British oil and gas giant Shell (SHEL) saw its short interest spike 73% from the previous reporting period in the final two weeks of April. SHEL's earnings have surged in recent quarters, but the company's oil and gas production fell in the first quarter due to disruptions in the Middle East. SHEL is far from a highly shorted stock, but the recent rise in short interest potentially points to valuation concerns and hedging after a nearly 30% share price jump over the past 12 months.

The once high-flying EV company Lucid Group (LCID) saw its short interest jump 43% from the prior reporting period in late April. LCID has been unable to meet production and delivery targets, correct its deeply negative margins, or halt its cash burn in recent years. In April, the company also raised $1 billion in capital, partly from a common stock offering, prompting concerns about shareholder dilution. Additionally, LCID suspended production guidance in May, saying it needs to align its production with customer demand. Nearly 15% of LCID's outstanding shares were sold short as of May 12.