ELD cops a +1.40% short spike as LOT stays #1 at 17.16%
Week 21, 2026 (18 May 2026 — 22 May 2026)
Shorting was steady overall (average short %: 1.43%; WoW average change: +0.02%), but one move stood out: ELD jumped from 5.87% to 7.27% (+1.40%). LOT remains the ASX’s most shorted name at 17.16% (+0.10%), while ZIP saw shorts ease to 11.55% (-0.44%).
By Shorted AI Research · Published · Sourced from official ASIC short position reports (T+4 delay). Methodology · Not financial advice.
This Week's Analysis
The week’s loudest signal wasn’t at the top of the leaderboard — it was in ELD. Short interest surged from 5.87% to 7.27% (+1.40%), a chunky move in a single week, landing right as Elders dropped its half-year reporting pack on 2026-05-18. 1 2 3
At the pointy end, LOT is still the market’s favourite short at 17.16% (+0.10%). DMP sits close behind at 15.63% (+0.10%), with TLX at 14.98% (-0.01%). The next cluster is tight: BOE at 14.33% (+0.28%) and GYG at 14.08% (+0.26%). What’s striking is how “sticky” the top is — small weekly moves, but consistently high levels. That’s usually a sign the market has settled into a view: these are crowded battlegrounds, and it will take a real catalyst to force shorts out in size.
Top Shorted Stocks This Week
Financial Snapshot
Key financial metrics from recent company reports for the most shorted stocks.
Biggest Risers
Stocks with the largest increase in short interest this week.
Biggest Fallers
Stocks with the largest decrease in short interest this week.
Movers Analysis
ELD was the standout riser (+1.40%). That’s not a drift — that’s shorts actively piling in. The context is that Elders’ FY2025 numbers show revenue of $3201.71M, profit after tax of $50.291M, and dividends per share of 36.0 cents (with 27.0 cents franked). 4 Shorts lifting into a dividend-paying agribusiness often reads as a bet that conditions (or margins) get tougher from here, even if the headline yield looks tempting. CU6 also saw shorts lift from 8.11% to 8.53% (+0.42%). The financials explain the scepticism: FY2025 revenue of $4.762M against a FY2025 loss of $64.295M. 5 On the cover side, TPW fell from 7.80% to 7.23% (-0.56%) — a meaningful unwind for a stock with a P/E of 84.2. ZIP also saw shorts trimmed from 11.99% to 11.55% (-0.44%), despite still sitting in the top 10. 6
Industry Trends
There’s a clear split in this tape. Uranium remains heavily shorted: LOT leads at 17.16% and BOE is at 14.33% after rising from 14.05% (+0.28%). BOE’s own disclosures point to the market focusing on execution and cost control — FY25 revenue was $75.6M, with FY26 production guidance of 1.6M lbs U3O8 and C1 cash cost guidance of A$41-45/lb. 7 Meanwhile, growth/valuation pressure is still a theme in consumer and tech: DMP is pinned at 15.63%, GYG is at 14.08%, and NXT shorts eased from 9.12% to 8.66% (-0.46%) even though FY2025 net profit was (60.543)M. 8
Outlook
Watch whether ELD’s 7.27% becomes a new base — if it keeps rising after the 2026-05-18 result drop, that’s a conviction short. Up top, any sharp move in LOT (17.16%) or BOE (14.33%) will matter because positioning is already crowded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the biggest short-interest move this week?
ELD: 5.87% → 7.27% (+1.40%), the largest rise in the dataset.
Which stock is the most shorted on the ASX right now?
LOT is #1 at 17.16% short (WoW change: +0.10%).
Which top-10 name saw the biggest short covering?
ZIP: 11.99% → 11.55% (-0.44%), the largest fall among the top 10.
Why are shorts still leaning into BOE?
BOE short interest rose from 14.05% to 14.33% (+0.28%) while the company guides to FY26 production of 1.6M lbs U3O8 and C1 cash costs of A$41-45/lb — execution against those targets is the obvious pressure point. [ref-7]
Sources
- ASIC short position data (Week: 2026-W21; Report Date: 2026-05-18; Previous Date: 2026-05-15) — ELD short interest 5.87% → 7.27%(2026-05-18) [asic data]
- ASX announcement: ELD "Half Yearly Report and Accounts"(2026-05-18) [financial report]
- ASX announcement: ELD "Elders Limited Half Year Results Announcement"(2026-05-18) [announcement]
- ASX filing: ELD "Appendix 4E and Annual Report for Year Ended 30/9/2025" — revenue $3201.71M, profit after tax $50.291M, dividends per share 36.0 cents (27.0 cents franked)(2025-11-17) [financial report]
- ASX filing: CU6 "Preliminary Final Report" — FY2025 revenue $4.762M; FY2025 loss $64.295M(2025-08-28) [financial report]
- ASX filing: ZIP "Half Yearly Report and Accounts" — revenue $509.234M; net profit $23.005M; cash flow $95.4M (H1 FY2025)(2025-02-25) [financial report]
- BOE Annual Report to shareholders — FY25 revenue $75.6M; FY26 production guidance 1.6M lbs U3O8; FY26 C1 cash cost guidance A$41-45/lb(2025-08-29) [financial report]
- ASX filing: NXT "FY25 Annual Report & Appendix 4E" — FY2025 revenue $427.209M; FY2025 net profit (60.543)M(2025-08-28) [financial report]
Data sourced from ASIC short position reports (T+4 delayed). This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Short selling data may not reflect real-time market conditions.