Most Shorted Stocks Today: September 16, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
On September 16, 2026, PLAY leads the most shorted stocks leaderboard with a 74.4 squeeze score, 32.5% short interest and a 47.6% borrow fee, while every name on the top 25 sits on the FINRA threshold list.
PLAY tops the most shorted stocks board on September 16, 2026 with a squeeze score of 74.4, short interest of 32.5% of float, a 47.6% borrow fee, and 6.66 days to cover. The dominant theme today is threshold saturation: all 25 names on the board carry the FINRA threshold flag, and several — CHPT at a 589.7% borrow fee, XRX at 268.7%, and OCGN at 222.5% — show borrow costs that signal genuinely scarce lendable supply.
September 16, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | PLAY | 74.4 | 32.5% | 47.6% | 6.66 | T |
| 11 | LDI | 44.8 | 16.3% | 39.6% | 7.00 | T |
| 14 | ALDX | 43.1 | 6.4% | — | 4.75 | T |
| 16 | OCGN | 42.8 | 31.0% | 222.5% | 28.24 | T |
| 17 | PCRX | 42.7 | 21.7% | 41.4% | 16.95 | T |
| 19 | SVRA | 41.7 | 31.8% | 130.0% | 24.32 | T |
| 20 | KRYS | 40.7 | 14.3% | 27.8% | 15.27 | T |
| 21 | COIN | 39.8 | 12.5% | — | 2.37 | T |
| 23 | PLBY | 39.0 | 5.0% | — | 7.45 | T |
| 24 | HRMY | 39.0 | 10.0% | 41.9% | 9.11 | T |
| 26 | BEAM | 38.5 | 29.2% | 25.8% | 14.84 | T |
| 27 | CRBP | 38.4 | 14.8% | 41.3% | 3.67 | T |
| 29 | SES | 38.3 | 15.6% | 167.0% | 4.67 | T |
| 30 | IDYA | 38.2 | 11.6% | 27.8% | 12.21 | T |
| 31 | TROW | 38.0 | 12.5% | 41.7% | 20.51 | T |
| 32 | CHPT | 37.8 | 20.1% | 589.7% | 15.66 | T |
| 33 | LU | 37.8 | 1.8% | 56.5% | 5.25 | T |
| 34 | XRX | 37.7 | 34.0% | 268.7% | 19.55 | T |
| 36 | NCNO | 37.4 | 18.9% | 41.4% | 6.08 | T |
| 37 | WB | 37.4 | 17.9% | 110.4% | 9.30 | T |
| 38 | EH | 37.2 | 16.0% | 172.6% | 10.19 | T |
| 39 | LEU | 37.2 | 28.8% | 61.8% | 9.39 | T |
| 41 | CRSP | 37.0 | 19.5% | 42.0% | 10.73 | T |
| 42 | SNDX | 36.7 | 27.2% | 41.4% | 19.65 | T |
| 43 | URBN | 36.7 | 11.4% | 27.8% | 4.39 | T |
Top 5 Names on September 16, 2026
4. PLAY — Squeeze Score 74.4
PLAY is the clear outlier today, scoring 74.4 against a field where second place sits at 44.8. The setup combines 32.5% short interest on float, a 47.6% borrow fee, 6.66 days to cover, and a 5-day momentum reading of -16.2% — shorts have been pressing a falling stock at a $6.96 price. This is the classic crowded-short-into-weakness profile: the trade is working, which means positioning is heavy and complacent. If the decline stalls and any positive catalyst forces covering, nearly a third of the float has to be bought back through a borrow market already charging 47.6% annually.
11. LDI — Squeeze Score 44.8
LDI scores 44.8 on 16.3% short interest, a 39.6% borrow fee, and 7.00 days to cover at a $0.72 share price. This is a sub-dollar, threshold-flagged name where the borrow cost does the talking — 39.6% annualized is expensive carry on a low-priced stock, and it tells you lendable shares are thin relative to demand. A squeeze here is mechanical: if borrow availability tightens further or recalls force buy-ins, shorts holding a 7-day cover position in a thin name have limited exit liquidity.
14. ALDX — Squeeze Score 43.1
ALDX posts a 43.1 score with 6.4% short interest, 4.75 days to cover, and no borrow fee reading available in today's data. The short interest is modest compared to the rest of the board, so the score is carried by the FINRA threshold flag and the balance of inputs rather than a single extreme metric. At $1.35, this is a low-priced biotech-style setup where the threshold signal — sustained majority short-side volume — matters more than the headline SI number.
16. OCGN — Squeeze Score 42.8
OCGN earns 42.8 with 31.0% short interest, a 222.5% borrow fee, and 28.24 days to cover at $1.01. That 28.24-day cover figure is the second-highest on today's board, and paired with a 222.5% borrow fee it describes a genuinely trapped short base: it would take nearly a month of average volume to unwind, and holding the position costs over 2% per month in borrow alone. Momentum is -6.3% over five days. If any buying pressure arrives, the combination of extreme carry cost and extreme cover time is the fuel for a short squeeze.
17. PCRX — Squeeze Score 42.7
PCRX rounds out the top five at 42.7 with 21.7% short interest, a 41.4% borrow fee, and 16.95 days to cover at $24.91. Unlike the penny-stock names above it, this is a higher-priced name with real institutional float, which makes the 16.95-day cover figure notable — shorts are deeply committed and the exit is slow. Momentum is -3.7% over five days. A positive catalyst forcing covering into a 17-day liquidity window is the squeeze mechanism here.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
The T column marks names on the FINRA threshold list, meaning more than 50% of recent daily volume on the FINRA Consolidated NMS short-volume file was short-side — sustained, heavy short pressure rather than a one-day spike. Today every one of the 25 names carries the flag, an unusually concentrated reading. See the full scoring breakdown at /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
Highest Borrow Fees on September 16, 2026 — How the Score Is Built
The squeeze score weights five inputs: 35% short interest as a percent of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab). Today's fee column shows why the 25% weight matters: CHPT at 589.7%, XRX at 268.7%, and OCGN at 222.5% are paying punishing carry, while names like ALDX, COIN, and PLBY have no fee reading available and score on their other inputs. Full methodology: /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
Tomorrow's rankings update on the live leaderboard.