New analysis from GraniteShares ETP reveals that on February 5th 2024, Petrofac was the most shorted UK listed company.
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Will Rhind, Founder and CEO at GraniteShares
The international energy services company had 11.49% of its stock held short by seven investment firms, with Helikon Investments Limited holding the largest position at 3.52%.
This was followed by Kingfisher and Hargreaves Lansdown, with 6.76% and 6.14% of their stock held short by seven fund managers each.
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 |
| Petrofac LTD | 11.49% | 7 |
| Kingfisher PLC | 6.76% | 7 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown PLC | 6.14% | 7 |
| ASOS PLC | 5.80% | 6 |
| Boohoo Group | 5.36% | 6 |
| abrdn PLC | 4.98% | 5 |
| Burberry Group PLC | 4.65% | 6 |
| ITM Power PLC | 3.21% | 2 |
| J. Sainsbury PLC | 3.12% | 2 |
| 888 Holdings PLC | 3.11% | 5 |
Source: London Stock Exchange, updated on February 5th, 2024
The analysis also revealed GLG Partners LP held the highest number of short positions on UK listed companies of any investment firms, with 47 active shorts. This was followed by Marshall Wace LLP and BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, which held 29 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 | 29 |
| BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited | 16 |
| Qube Research & Technologies Limited | 12 |
| JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Ltd | 8 |
| Millennium International Management LP | 8 |
| ActusRayPartners Limited | 7 |
| Kintbury Capital LLP | 7 |
| Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership | 5 |
| Canada Pension Plan Investment Board | 5 |
Source: London Stock Exchange, updated on February 5th, 2024
Will Rhind, Founder and CEO of GraniteShares, said: “The UK’s prolonged period of economic stagnation is fuelling short exposures, with our analysis highlighting investors’ concerns regarding a wide range of companies.
“As we enter an election year, the UK is facing heightened market volatility amid uncertain macroeconomic conditions, which we anticipate with drive further interest in shorting beyond the large institutions. Shorting isn’t right for all investors, but there is clear demand from sophisticated investors for short ETPs like ours to protect their portfolio or profit from falling markets.”
Source: ETFWorld.co.uk
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