SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Strategies & Market Trends : Value Investing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Micah Lance who wrote (59371)4/17/2017 4:32:27 PM
From: geoffrey Wren  Respond to of 78958
 
It is curious, the short interest in BIG.

Found this article from SA in 2015 discussing the large position of the shorts (and concluding that the shorts had it wrong).

seekingalpha.com

This was a follow up to an article in 2014 discussing the same subject. Since 2014 BIG has outperformed TGT and somewhat under-performed DG. Both BIG and DG are up somewhat. So shorts have held onto a position in BIG for a long time and have lost money, as well as had to cover the 2% dividend of BIG.

DG has small short position. So this long-duration short position in BIG seems to be company specific, and not related to current retail problems. Maybe it is a dedicated short seller like Einhorn. It would be worthwhile to know who the big short sellers are, but I do not know how to access that information. Maybe it is not available. One would suppose it should be disclosed.

Sometimes holders of convertible debt will sell short to hedge a position. But there is no convertible debt that I see in the 10Q.

If BIG was more of the type of company I invest in, I would look into it more. Who knows, maybe the short has noticed some Fastow-type accounting in BIG, and is patiently waiting a blow-up. Odd that the shorts do not get some press on their reasoning. Usually that it the way they operate.

Enough for me.