Online grocery firm Ocado Group is the UK’s most-shorted stock as retailers continue to be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, according to data from the London Stock Exchange.
As of 3 July, nine investment firms were betting against the group’s shares, with 6.2% of its stock held short.
Other retailers in the top ten include Kingfisher, Boohoo and Moonpig.
Meanwhile, investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown continues to be targeted by hedge funds, though the percentage of its stock being shorted has fallen to 3.4%, down from 5.7% last September.
See also: Is there life in UK consumer stocks?
Most shorted UK-listed stocks
| 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 |
GLG Partners held the most short positions on UK-listed companies of any investment firm with 47 active shorts – more than twice the amount of second-placed Marshall Wace, with 22.
BlackRock funds were betting against 16 UK-listed firms, while JP Morgan Asset Management hedged against 12 .
Will Rhind, CEO of exchange-traded product provider 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 ten most shorted companies.”
Short positions taken by investment firms
| 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 |
