One of the most shorted names in the market this week includes downbeat auto stock Vinfast Auto . Short selling is a high-risk strategy used by investors to speculate on a potential decline in a stock’s price. Investors borrow stocks and sell them off. When prices theoretically come back down in the future, the traders then repurchase the stock at a cheaper price to return it and pocket the difference. But these investors also put themselves at risk of a short squeeze, which happens when a stock’s price soars, forcing them to scramble to repurchase the stocks — or cover their shorts — at a loss. Overall, short interest ticked higher over the past month. CNBC Pro screened FactSet data for the stocks trading on either the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange that are at risk of a short squeeze. Stocks in the table below all have short interest of more than 25% of their float and at least $250 million in market capitalization. One of the most shorted names in the market this week included VinFast Auto, which has lost 50% of its value this year. VinFast’s short interest as a percent of float jumped 26% to 4.5 million shares, or nearly 40% of float. Analysts are bullish on the stock, with all of those covering VinFast rating it a buy or strong buy and forecasting a whopping 104.81% upside, according to FactSet. However, the electric carmaker has been forced to lower its annual delivery forecast this year to 80,000 vehicles from 100,000. The company also has seen delays in the timeline of its North Carolina manufacturing facility to 2028, and has struggled with having to issue a vehicle recall. Short interest in health-care company Cassava Sciences jumped 23% to 16.1 million shares, or about 36% of float. The stock is currently down 39% on the year. Kohl’s is another potential short-squeeze candidate, with short interest in the department store reaching 40.7 million shares, or around 37.3% of total float. Opinion on the stock is divided, and the average price target suggests an upside of just over 2%, according to LSEG. Kohl’s has struggled as more consumers switch away from shopping at department stores, to buying more items online. One notable departure from this week’s list of short-sell candidates was Reddit . Short interest in the social media platform and meme stock darling fell 16%, to just 23% of float.
