Catenaa, Wednesday, July 16, 2025- Tesla ranks among the three most shorted US auto stocks heading into the second-quarter earnings season, alongside Rivian and QuantumScape.
According to UBS, the latest “comprehensive crowding factor” shows all three names topping the list of short positions across the autos, auto parts, and auto-tech space.
UBS constructs its crowding scores using prime brokerage holdings, 13F filings, stock loan data, and internal analytics.
“In our coverage, the most crowded longs are now Amphenol Corporation, General Motors and Aptiv; the most crowded shorts are Rivian, QuantumScape and Tesla,” the analysts wrote.
Tesla’s short crowding score stood at -6.99 as of July 11, deteriorating from -6.70 the week prior, and marking a steady presence in the lowest tier of the UBS rankings.
Tesla stock was up by 2.2% on Wednesday. The stock is down by 21.3% so far in the year.
Among electric vehicle OEMs, crowding remains deeply negative, with Rivian at -13.46 and QuantumScape at -12.10.
Traditional OEMs, by contrast, saw long-term interest hold up. GM is now the second most crowded long name in UBS’s coverage, with a crowding score of 25.00.
Ford’s short crowding had declined in mid-June through early July, but increased again over the past week. UBS said this likely reflects “some higher expectations and the elevated relative P/E multiple vs. GM.”
In the supplier segment, Aptiv saw one of the sharpest moves. Its long crowding score climbed to 20.53, reaching levels not seen since August 2023.
Amphenol Corporation saw the largest absolute crowding score among all names covered, rising to 25.90. “Amphenol Corporation saw the second largest increase in crowding long and is now the most crowded long in our coverage,” UBS said.
Over the past three months, the bank said Amphenol Corporation and Aptiv have seen the biggest positive changes in crowding scores, while the largest declines came from CarGurus and Tesla.
Crowding dynamics also shifted for several other names. Visteon initially gained long interest before seeing a drop in the past week, while Lear became less crowded long.
