10 Most-Shorted Stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets Is Paying Attention To

Published July 25, 2021 at 9:18 pm EDT Updated August 19, 2026 at 5:11 am EDT

In this article, we discuss the 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to.

Reddit forum WallStreetBets, with a user base of well over 10.7 million and growing, rose to prominence in the finance world after it was identified as a key social hub frequented by retail investors in the GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC) short squeeze at the beginning of this year. Since December 2020, when it had just 1.8 million members, the forum has increased in popularity and influence, sparking appeals for regulation around social media speculation and memeification of the stock market.

Some of the stocks presently popular on WallStreetBets include Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), among others. In addition to these, firms like GameStop Corp. and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. also continue to occupy the interest of retail investors months after frustrating short-selling attempts by hedge funds.

Stocks with high short interests remain some of the most discussed on the Reddit forum. As hedge funds track Reddit data in real-time to avoid the losses incurred earlier this year, a pattern is beginning to emerge. News publication Business Insider reports that conversations around meme stocks, apart from ones with fervent fan bases, tend to be short-lived and one-time occurrences. In simple words, investors should note that stocks with high short interest only stay popular on the forum for a short time and then lose appeal.

This aligns largely with an earlier report by New York Post that claimed that hedge funds that had been hit hard by the January short squeezes had bounced back in February, reporting gains that more than offset the losses. The complete list of hedge funds that benefited from the meme stock craze is available here. It remains to be seen whether retail investors can take on big finance for the second time in less than a year. Traders are fervently searching for the next GameStop Corp. and AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. already.

The entire hedge fund industry is feeling the reverberations of the changing financial landscape. Its reputation has been tarnished in the last decade, during which its hedged returns couldn’t keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. On the other hand, Insider Monkey’s research was able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the S&P 500 ETFs by more than 124 percentage points since March 2017. Between March 2017 and May 29th 2021 our monthly newsletter’s stock picks returned 206.8%, vs. 91.0% for the SPY. Our stock picks outperformed the market by more than 115 percentage points (see the details here). That’s why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. You can subscribe to our free newsletter on our homepage to receive our stories in your inbox.

Photo by Mohamed Hadji on Unsplash

With this context in mind, here is our list of the 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. These were ranked keeping in mind the float shorted, the number of mentions on Reddit, analyst ratings, business fundamentals, and hedge fund sentiment around each.

Most-Shorted Stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets Is Paying Attention To

10. Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Float Shorted: 23.7%

Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR) is placed tenth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The stock has returned 19% to investors over the past year. The firm makes and sells electric vehicles and is based in California. On June 30, the firm announced that it had partnered with Magna International to open a car manufacturing facility in Austria that would help the company speed up the development of Fisker Ocean SUVs. The company has a market cap of over $4.7 billion.

On June 8, investment advisory RBC Capital initiated coverage on Fisker Inc. stock with an Outperform rating and a price target of $27, noting that the plan by the firm to use third parties for electric vehicle manufacture was differentiated from others in the business.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 22 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $337 million in Fisker Inc., down from 18 in the previous quarter worth $146 million.

Just like GameStop Corp., AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Shopify Inc., Bank of America Corporation, and NVIDIA Corporation, Fisker Inc. is one of the stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to.

9. Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 12

Float Shorted: 24.2%

Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) is a Colorado-based firm that focuses on cryptocurrency mining. It is ranked ninth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The company’s shares have returned 1,165% to investors over the past twelve months. On July 1, investment advisory B Riley boosted the price target of the stock to $51 from $45. The advisory maintained a Buy rating on the shares in the update, underlining that the crypto crackdown in China would benefit North American miners.

On July 8, Riot Blockchain, Inc. announced coin production results for the month of June, revealing that it had mined 243 Bitcoin during the month, up from 48 in June 2020, representing a year-over-year increase of 406%.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Chicago-based investment firm Citadel Investment Group is a leading shareholder in Riot Blockchain, Inc. with 2.2 million shares worth more than $120 million.

Alongside GameStop Corp., AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Shopify Inc., Bank of America Corporation, and NVIDIA Corporation, Riot Blockchain, Inc. is one of the stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to.

8. The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 13

Float Shorted: 24.2%

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) stock has returned 13% to investors over the past three months. It is placed eighth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The firm operates as a real estate investment trust. It is based in Florida. On June 17, the share price of the firm jumped more than 6% after the CEO of the company bought more than 166,000 shares in the firm, increasing his total holdings to close to 3 million shares. The CEO bought the shares at $6.75 per share.

On June 8, investment advisory Wedbush initiated coverage of The GEO Group, Inc. stock with a Neutral rating and a price target of $7, highlighting the operating profitability and cash flows as growth catalysts but cautioning against political opposition to the business.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 13 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $725 million in The GEO Group, Inc., down from 18 in the previous quarter worth $610 million.

In addition to GameStop Corp., AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Shopify Inc., Bank of America Corporation, and NVIDIA Corporation, The GEO Group, Inc. is one of the stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Miller Value Partners, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“GEO Group (GEO) declined 9.8% during the period as President Biden’s Executive Order directing the Department of Justice not to renew contracts with private prisons at the Federal level offset solid Q4 results. GEO reported Q4 revenue of $578.1M, in-line with consensus while EBITDA of $107.9M topped estimates of $87.7M by 23%. Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO) of $0.62/share fell 6% Y/Y and provided coverage of 2.5x on the quarterly dividend of $0.25/share (13.5% annualized yield). The company exited the quarter with ample liquidity of $420M and remains committed to paying down $75M-$100M of debt annually. Management introduced 2021 guidance with revenue of $2.24Bn-$2.27Bn, EBITDA of $386M-$400M, and AFFO of $1.98-$2.08, all of which assumes Bureau of Prison contracts with optional expiration periods in 2021 will not be renewed. Additionally, GEO announced a $200M convertible notes offering due 2026 with net proceeds funding the redemption of the 5.875% unsecured notes due 2022.”

7. Sundial Growers Inc. (NASDAQ: SNDL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 7

Float Shorted: 24.3%

Sundial Growers Inc. (NASDAQ: SNDL) is ranked seventh on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The company’s shares have offered investors returns exceeding 68% over the course of the past six months. The firm makes and sells cannabis products. The stock stands to benefit from the recent hype around a federal marijuana legalization bill. It could also improve sales numbers as more internet-based platforms open up to cannabis products. Apple recently allowed marijuana delivery apps on the App Store.

On July 25, investment advisory ATB Capital upgraded Sundial Growers Inc. stock to Sector Perform from Underperform, raising the price target to 80c from 50c. The rating update was issued after the cannabis firm closed the purchase of Inner Spirit Holdings.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 7 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $18 million in Sundial Growers Inc., up from 2 the preceding quarter worth $2 million.

GameStop Corp., AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Shopify Inc., Bank of America Corporation, and NVIDIA Corporation are stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to, just like Sundial Growers Inc..

6. Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 19

Float Shorted: 25.1%

Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA) stock has offered investors returns exceeding 21% over the course of the past three months. It is placed sixth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The company is based in Arizona and markets energy and transportation solutions. On June 23, the share price of the firm jumped more than 3.5% after it disclosed that it had invested close to $50 million in a clean energy project in Indiana. The firm has a market cap of over $5.5 billion.

On May 27, investment advisory BTIG initiated coverage of Nikola Corporation stock with a Buy rating and a price target of $18, underlining that the production of EVs by the firm would ramp up in the second half of 2022.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, San Francisco-based firm Inclusive Capital is a leading shareholder in Nikola Corporation with 10.2 million shares worth more than $142 million.

In its Q4 2020 investor letter, Bireme Capital, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Nikola Corporation was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“Nikola Corporation (NKLA) is a poor-man’s facsimile of Tesla. Even the name is a blatant ripo: both are named aer the inventor Nikola Tesla. NKLA is a pre-revenue company founded in 2014 that has yet to bring a product to market, despite the promotion of a dizzying array of concepts:

Nikola Badger: pickup with both fuel-cell and electric variants

Nikola One: fuel-cell commercial semi-truck

Nikola Two: fuel-cell commercial semi-truck

Nikola Tre: electric commercial semi-truck

Nikola NZT: electric four-wheel drive utility vehicle

Nikola Reckless: electric military grade o-highway vehicle

Nikola WAV: electric watersports vehicle

As far as we can tell from their latest investor communications, only the Nikola Tre Commercial semitruck is still in development.

As far as we can tell from their latest investor communications, only the Nikola Tre Commercial semitruck is still in development. NKLA’s history is full of deception and vaporware. They showed a video of the Nikola One in motion; they later admitted that it didn’t work and was just rolling down a hill. NKA’s founder Trevor Milton resigned in disgrace aer Hindenburg Research published a report calling NKLA an “intricate fraud.” NKLA is currently under investigation by both the SEC and DoJ. Partnerships with GM, Republic Services and BP have been canceled. Nevertheless, the company sports an $8b market cap, because “electric vehicles.” Though pretenders are particularly ubiquitous in the bubbly EV industry, pretenders are to be found in many other industries as well.”

5. Clover Health Investments, Corp. (NASDAQ: CLOV)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 23

Float Shorted: 26.7%

Clover Health Investments, Corp. (NASDAQ: CLOV) is a health insurer. It is ranked fifth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. Although Reddit interest in the firm had been waning in May, the increase in short interest on the stock in the past month has increased the interest of retail investors in the stock, with mentions increasing slowly over the past four weeks. The firm has a market cap of over $3.2 billion and posted more than $690 million in revenue last year.

Clover Health Investments, Corp. has soared upon mentions on forums like WalStreetBets and StockTwits, registering rallies of 36% and 19% on June 8 and June 9 respectively. However, JPMorgan and Bank of America have downgraded the stock recently.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, San Francisco-based investment firm Greenoaks Capital is a leading shareholder in Clover Health Investments, Corp. with 96.3 million shares worth more than $728 million.

4. MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 20

Float Shorted: 27.5%

MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR) is placed fourth on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The stock has returned 361% to investors in the past twelve months. The firm operates as a software vendor focusing on enterprise analytics. It is based in Virginia. In recent months, the firm has invested heavily in cryptocurrencies. It was hit by a recent slump in crypto prices, but has managed to weather the storm because of mentions on Reddit forums like WallStreetBets.

On May 4, investment advisory William Blair initiated coverage of MicroStrategy Incorporated stock with an Outperform rating. The advisory identified the company as one of the leading software vendors in enterprise analytics.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 20 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $132 million in MicroStrategy Incorporated, up from 15 in the previous quarter worth $134 million.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Alger, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“MicroStrategy Incorporated was among the top contributors to performance. MicroStrategy is a global leader in enterprise analytics software and services. MicroStrategy’s core software platform provides customers with visualization and reporting capabilities, mobility features and custom applications to help with complex business questions. Today, MicroStrategy has over 4,000 customers worldwide. In August 2020, MicroStrategy decided to make bitcoin its preferred reserve currency. To date, MicroStrategy has purchased over 90,000 bitcoins at an aggregate purchase price of $2.17 bi11 ion and an average price of over $23,985 per bitcoin. Going forward, MicroStrategy plans to use excess cash generated by its core business to purchase additional bitcoin.

Shares of MicroStrategy outperformed in the first quarter due to the appreciation of the company’s bitcoin asset, as the price of

bitcoin relative to the U.S. dollar rose materially in the quarter. This bitcoin appreciation was driven by concerns about U.S. dollar inflation as well as other public companies deciding to acquire bitcoin to diversify reserve assets. MicroStrategy is establishing itself as a thought leader in the bitcoin space, and the company hosted an event at its February user conference to help other organizations understand the benefits of bitcoin as a reserve asset. MicroStrategy’s core software business is also benefitting from its status as a leader in the bitcoin space, with the increased public attention aiding MicroStrategy’s recruitment and marketing efforts as the software business continues to transition to a cloud-based subscription model.”

3. Canoo Inc. (NASDAQ: GOEV)

Number of hedge fund holders: 16

Float Shorted: 33.1%

Canoo Inc. (NASDAQ: GOEV) is a California-based firm that makes and sells electric vehicles for commercial and consumer use. It is ranked third on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The firm has a market cap of close to $2 billion. The firm stands to benefit from recent news from China and Europe regarding EVs. Sales of electric cars in the former have started increasing again and the latter has started mulling over a ban on vehicles that use internal combustion engines.

On June 21, investment advisory RF Lafferty maintained a Buy rating on Canoo Inc. stock with a price target of $18, noting that the firm was well ahead of competitors in the EV space in development and evaluation of vehicles.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 16 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $14.8 million in Canoo Inc., down from 17 in the previous quarter worth $96.6 million.

2. Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16

Float Shorted: 34.8%

Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) is an Ohio-based firm in the battery electric vehicle and aircraft business. It is placed second on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The firm is one of the most popular stocks on Reddit and a recent report from Bank of America indicates that Reddit stocks are being driven by more than just social media mentions. This analysis is based on overall stock mentions on popular forums and the rallies they have registered over the year so far.

On April 16, investment advisory B Riley initiated coverage of Workhorse Group Inc. stock with a Buy rating and a price target of $20, highlighting that the firm could gain with customers through production and sales numbers this year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 16 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $96.6 million in Workhorse Group Inc., the same as in the preceding quarter worth $90.8 million.

1. Marin Software Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRIN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 2

Float Shorted: 47.7%

Marin Software Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRIN) is ranked first on our list of 10 most-shorted stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is paying attention to. The company’s shares have offered investors returns exceeding 468% over the course of the past twelve months. The firm is based in California and provides marketing software to advertisers. It has a market cap of over $100 million and posted close to $30 million in revenue last year. The company recently published three new customer case studies.

Marin Software Incorporated is one of the most mentioned stocks on social media forums like WallStreetBets. On June 29, the shares gained 89% in a single day after strong user opinion in favor of the firm on Reddit forums and other platforms like StockTwits.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 2 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $818,000 in Marin Software Incorporated, down from 3 in the previous quarter worth $1.1 million.

You can also take a peek at 10 Stocks Reddit’s WallStreetBets is Buying in July 2021 and Top Robinhood Stocks Popular on Reddit.

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