10 Stocks That Have Short Sellers' Attention So Far In 2017

The S&P 500 is off to a great start so far in 2017, climbing 1.4 percent in the first two weeks of the year. The big banks kicked off Q4 earnings season this week, and short sellers have been positioning themselves for what will surely be some extreme earnings volatility in coming weeks.

2017's 5 Largest Upticks In Short Interest

Here’s a look at the five stocks that have seen the largest upticks in short interest so far in 2017, according to S3 Partners.

1. Fitbit Inc FIT: +16.3 percent.
2. J C Penney Company Inc JCP: +5.9 percent.
3. Tempur Sealy International Inc TPX: +5.7 percent.
4. AGCO Corporation AGCO: +4.9 percent.
5. LogMeIn Inc LOGM: +4.5 percent.

It’s not surprising that Fitbit is a popular short so far in 2017 after reports surfaced that the company experienced a disappointing holiday season. Disappointing holiday sales are also likely the driving force behind JCPenney’s rise in short interest as well.

2017's 5 Largest Reductions In Short Interest

At the same time, short sellers are upping their bearish bets on the five stocks above, they are also covering their positions in a number of names ahead of earnings season. Here are the five stocks that have experienced the largest reductions in short interest so far in 2017.

1. Ares Capital Corporation ARCC: -10.4 percent.
2. WebMD Health Corp. WBMD: -5.0 percent.
3. Twilio Inc TWLO: -4.7 percent.
4. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC: -4.0 percent.
5. U.S. Silica Holdings Inc SLCA: -3.6 percent.

Short sellers seem to be particularly worried about being caught on the wrong side of an earnings beat from these five names. Of the five stocks experiencing the most short covering, Twilio maintains the highest short percent of float at 30.8 percent.