CRWD: analyst downgrade

Analyst Actions: Baird Cuts CrowdStrike Price Target to $65 From $75, Maintains Neutral Rating

A downgrade this morning.

Also, some of my CRWD shares have been loaned out to shorts for about 1 week now. The interest rate that I receive on loaning out the shares went up again today. When the shares were first loaned out, I received 9.75%. Today the rate increase from 10% to 10.25%. By comparison, some of my DDOG shares are loaned out to shorts for only 1%. A higher rate means that the shares are more difficult to borrow so perhaps the overall short position on CRWD is increasing. Any shares that are short must be covered at some point, and maintaining a short position costs more than 10% now (which I will gladly rake in). Earnings will be released on Thursday. If earnings are excellent perhaps the shorts will get squeezed. On the other hand, geopolitical headlines on trade and manufacturing data may hold down a stock even if its fundamentals perform. Who knows…

Chris

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Lately I have been tracking short % of the float for my holdings. Below are the percentages for CRWD from Morningstar:

10-14-19 38%

10-30-19 46%

11-14-19 49%

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Forgot to mention I’m long CRWD and it is 5% of my holdings.

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Also, some of my CRWD shares have been loaned out to shorts for about 1 week now. The interest rate that I receive on loaning out the shares went up again today. When the shares were first loaned out, I received 9.75%. Today the rate increase from 10% to 10.25%. By comparison, some of my DDOG shares are loaned out to shorts for only 1%. A higher rate means that the shares are more difficult to borrow so perhaps the overall short position on CRWD is increasing. Any shares that are short must be covered at some point, and maintaining a short position costs more than 10% now (which I will gladly rake in). Earnings will be released on Thursday. If earnings are excellent perhaps the shorts will get squeezed. On the other hand, geopolitical headlines on trade and manufacturing data may hold down a stock even if its fundamentals perform. Who knows…

I wouldn’t read too much into the short interest on CRWD. Often-times, early investors and insiders/employees that are subject to lock-up restrictions will short the shares on the open market ahead of the lock-up expiration to lock-in a price. When the lock-up expires, they deliver their shares to cover their short position. It is effectively a way around the lock-up, but of course they sometimes have to be some interest to borrow the shares. Some lock-up agreements expressly prohibit this practice, but not always.

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The interest rate that I receive on loaning out the shares went up again today. When the shares were first loaned out, I received 9.75%. Today the rate increase from 10% to 10.25%.

Chris,
Who are you loaning them through and is there a way to check on what the interest is on loaning out your shares or do they send you a notice? I loaned my shares out yesterday for 7% and you are getting 10%. That is a big difference.

Andy

how do you loan out your shares? or how do you know they have been?

tj

how do you loan out your shares? or how do you know they have been?

My brokerage firm, Schwab, asked me if I wanted to lend out my shares. When I agreed to do so, they let me know once they’d been lent out.

I did not receive any request of the sort from my brokeage firm.
so it is a passive thing? can you actively put them out there to be loaned to shorts?
tj

I did not receive any request of the sort from my brokeage firm.
so it is a passive thing? can you actively put them out there to be loaned to shorts?

I don’t know the answer to that. But you could probably reach out to whoever is your designated contact at your brokerage firm to ask them.

In the back of my head I believe you have to have a cash account to participate in lending shares out short (not a margin account).

Rob

That has not been my experience with Fidelity. I have been asked to loan out shares on a margin account.

Note that you are unlikely to be asked if you have less than 100 shares … and the more you have the more likely you are to be asked.

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