New analysis from GraniteShares, a global issuer of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) with more than $ 1.5 billion under management, reveals that on July 3rd 2023, the online grocery company, Ocado Group, was the most shorted UK listed company.
Sign up to our free newsletters
Will Rhind, Founder and CEO at GraniteShares
Some 6.24% of its stock was held short by nine investment firms with BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited holding the biggest position at 1.05%. The second most shorted company was Kingfisher with 4.66% of its stock held short by five fund managers. The international home improvement company was one of four retailers in the top 10 most shorted companies in the UK.
Green hydrogen firm, ITM Power PLC, was the third most shorted in the UK with three investment firms holding a total of 4.44% of its stock short.
The table shows the largest ten short positions in companies that are listed and trading on the London Stock Exchange.
| Company | Percentage of stock held short | Number of funds shorting the stock |
| Ocado Group PLC | 6.24% | 9 |
| Kingfisher PLC | 4.66% | 5 |
| ITM Power PLC | 4.44% | 3 |
| Keywords Studios PLC | 3.97% | 4 |
| Boohoo Group PLC | 3.67% | 4 |
| Naked Wines PLC | 3.63% | 3 |
| Moonpig Group PLC | 3.57% | 4 |
| Hammerson PLC | 3.55% | 4 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown PLC | 3.40% | 3 |
| Cineworld Group | 3.29% | 3 |
Source: London Stock Exchange, updated on July 3rd 2023
The analysis shows GLG Partners LP held the highest number of short positions on UK listed companies of any investment firms, with 47 active shorts. This was more than double the number of positions held by Marshall Wace LLP and almost three times that of BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, which held 22 and 16 active shorts respectively.
The table shows the 10 fund managers with the highest number of short positions on companies that are listed and trading on the London Stock Exchange.
| Fund Manager | Number of short positions |
| GLG Partners LP | 47 |
| Marshall Wace LLP | 22 |
| BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited | 16 |
| JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Ltd | 12 |
| Qube Research & Technologies Limited | 9 |
| Citadel Advisors LLC | 7 |
| Millennium International Management LP | 7 |
| Systematica Investments Limited | 7 |
| Ennismore Fund Management Limited | 6 |
| Tellworth Investments LLP | 6 |
Source: London Stock Exchange, updated on July 3rd 2023
Will Rhind, Founder and CEO of GraniteShares, said: “The trend of rising short positions in the UK shows no signs of slowing down with sophisticated investors targeting a wide range of sectors when choosing to short companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.
“However, our research shows retailers continue to bear the brunt of the cost-of-living squeeze on consumer spending in the UK with Kingfisher PLC, Boohoo Group PLC, Naked Wines PLC and Moonpig Group PLC all emerging in the top 10 most shorted companies.
“In these volatile markets, it is no surprise that we are seeing an increasing interest in the shorting of UK stocks using products such as our ETPs.”
Source: ETFWorld.co.uk
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
