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Insteel Industries Inc. short interest

837K shares of Insteel Industries were sold short at the 15 October 2026 settlement, near the middle of its range over the last year (286K to 1.2M). Short sellers would need 6.5 days of normal trading to buy them back.

Shares sold short837Kat 15 Oct 2026
Change on the settlement before-0.5%+193% over a year
Days to cover6.46at 130K shares a day
Of shares in issue4.32%shares short over shares outstanding
New to this? How to read this page
  1. Short interest is the number of shares investors have borrowed and sold, betting the price will fall, and not yet bought back.
  2. Days to cover is shares short over an average day's trading: how many days it would take short sellers to buy them all back. Above 5 or so is high.
  3. Rising short interest says more investors are betting against the stock. A crowded short can also rise fast if shorts rush to buy back.
  4. Brokers report it twice a month to FINRA, about ten days after each settlement date.
  5. What is short interest?

Short interest, days to cover and the price

Short interest is near the middle of its range over the last year (286K to 1.2M), and the share price moved -23% over the last year.

Shares sold shortDays to coverShare price

Three charts on one timeline. Top: shares sold short at each settlement. Middle: days to cover, taller meaning shorts would need longer to buy back. Bottom: the share price, so you can see whether shorts added as the price fell or rose.

How it compares

every company on the site

    The bar ranks every company on the site from the lowest on the left to the highest on the right, in three equal thirds; the small figures under it are the values where each third starts, and the black tick is the middle company. The orange dot is this company; the grey ticks are the other companies in its industry (hover or tap for names). A hatched block is companies tied at none.

    Every settlement since 29 Dec 2017 as a table
    SettlementShares shortChangeAverage daily volumeDays to cover
    15 October 2026837K-0.5%130K6.46
    30 September 2026841K+3.3%142K5.92
    15 September 2026814K+9.6%145K5.63
    31 August 2026743K+4.4%156K4.77
    14 August 2026711K-4.5%175K4.07
    31 July 2026745K-17.0%356K2.09
    15 July 2026898K+17.2%219K4.09
    30 June 2026766K-34.7%717K1.07
    15 June 20261.2M+38.4%257K4.57
    29 May 2026847K+17.1%235K3.61
    15 May 2026723K-5.5%202K3.58
    30 April 2026765K+77.4%443K1.73
    15 April 2026431K-0.0%109K3.96
    31 March 2026431K-32.1%225K1.92
    13 March 2026635K+16.0%110K5.77
    27 February 2026547K+17.0%109K5.03
    13 February 2026468K-8.1%128K3.64
    30 January 2026509K+11.7%200K2.55
    15 January 2026456K+5.3%145K3.14
    31 December 2025433K+5.1%152K2.84
    15 December 2025412K+10.0%115K3.60
    28 November 2025374K+17.9%119K3.16
    14 November 2025318K+6.4%112K2.84
    31 October 2025299K+4.4%205K1.46
    15 October 2025286K+0.9%97K2.95
    30 September 2025283K-3.4%92K3.09
    15 September 2025293K-3.6%79K3.71
    29 August 2025304K-10.9%94K3.24
    15 August 2025341K-5.8%117K2.92
    31 July 2025363K-8.5%190K1.91
    15 July 2025396K-5.7%112K3.53
    30 June 2025420K-12.5%155K2.71
    13 June 2025480K+13.0%112K4.28
    30 May 2025425K-14.9%111K3.82
    15 May 2025499K-18.7%162K3.08
    30 April 2025614K-7.3%200K3.07
    15 April 2025662K+3.3%204K3.24
    31 March 2025641K-17.8%186K3.45
    14 March 2025780K+1.6%155K5.04
    28 February 2025768K+7.9%146K5.27
    14 February 2025712K+28.1%157K4.54
    31 January 2025556K+25.0%264K2.11
    15 January 2025445K+13.9%120K3.70
    31 December 2024390K+0.1%195K2.00
    13 December 2024390K+8.5%124K3.15
    29 November 2024359K+1.3%105K3.42
    15 November 2024355K+9.6%116K3.05
    31 October 2024324K+15.6%175K1.85
    15 October 2024280K+26.1%78K3.57
    30 September 2024222K-54.7%201K1.11
    13 September 2024490K-4.8%101K4.86
    30 August 2024515K-5.2%66K7.77
    15 August 2024543K-17.8%68K8.00
    31 July 2024660K+9.8%164K4.02
    15 July 2024601K+2.2%72K8.35
    28 June 2024588K-29.6%257K2.28
    14 June 2024836K+15.2%79K10.61
    31 May 2024726K+4.7%69K10.59
    15 May 2024693K+12.9%81K8.51
    30 April 2024614K-9.5%99K6.21
    15 April 2024678K-4.0%67K10.19
    28 March 2024706K-19.6%64K11.05
    15 March 2024878K+18.0%120K7.35
    29 February 2024744K+5.2%55K13.62
    15 February 2024707K+25.2%76K9.33
    31 January 2024565K-0.7%110K5.13
    12 January 2024569K+3.7%112K5.10
    29 December 2023549K+19.4%112K4.88
    15 December 2023460K+28.1%208K2.21
    30 November 2023359K-6.3%73K4.91
    15 November 2023383K-17.5%117K3.28
    31 October 2023465K-3.5%100K4.62
    13 October 2023481K-4.5%64K7.56
    29 September 2023504K-19.8%70K7.20
    15 September 2023628K+25.6%114K5.50
    31 August 2023500K-0.9%88K5.68
    15 August 2023505K-2.1%72K6.97
    31 July 2023516K+3.7%90K5.74
    14 July 2023497K+6.3%59K8.39
    30 June 2023468K-10.6%160K2.92
    15 June 2023523K+16.2%85K6.12
    31 May 2023450K-11.2%67K6.74
    15 May 2023507K-0.4%64K7.94
    28 April 2023509K+10.8%79K6.47
    14 April 2023459K-1.3%65K7.07
    31 March 2023465K-6.8%91K5.11
    15 March 2023499K-5.6%88K5.67
    28 February 2023529K-5.7%86K6.12
    15 February 2023561K-7.7%92K6.08
    31 January 2023608K-20.3%196K3.09
    13 January 2023762K-4.7%138K5.54
    30 December 2022800K+6.2%162K4.94
    15 December 2022753K+16.9%171K4.41
    30 November 2022644K-10.5%118K5.48
    15 November 2022720K-13.4%118K6.12
    31 October 2022831K-7.4%139K5.99
    14 October 2022898K+31.1%96K9.38
    30 September 2022685K-1.0%111K6.19
    15 September 2022692K-2.2%108K6.41
    31 August 2022707K-6.9%82K8.63
    15 August 2022760K-3.6%147K5.16
    29 July 2022788K+14.9%238K3.31
    15 July 2022686K+3.7%78K8.82
    30 June 2022661K+4.6%187K3.53
    15 June 2022632K+22.4%94K6.74
    31 May 2022516K-4.3%169K3.06
    13 May 2022540K+0.1%111K4.87
    29 April 2022539K+2.1%159K3.40
    14 April 2022528K+6.3%90K5.85
    31 March 2022497K+15.8%74K6.70
    15 March 2022429K+25.3%79K5.45
    28 February 2022343K+6.5%72K4.77
    15 February 2022322K-9.4%103K3.13
    31 January 2022355K+51.8%187K1.90
    14 January 2022234K+5.2%138K1.70
    31 December 2021223K+21.0%129K1.73
    15 December 2021184K-25.8%90K2.05
    30 November 2021248K+5.1%95K2.60
    15 November 2021236K-15.7%66K3.57
    29 October 2021280K-15.9%101K2.77
    15 October 2021333K-5.9%61K5.44
    30 September 2021353K+7.7%109K3.24
    15 September 2021328K+0.7%105K3.13
    31 August 2021326K-2.3%97K3.37
    13 August 2021334K+5.3%93K3.60
    30 July 2021317K-1.5%101K3.14
    15 July 2021322K+1.3%195K1.65
    30 June 2021318K+5.2%108K2.94
    15 June 2021302K-4.8%81K3.71
    28 May 2021318K+0.1%65K4.92
    14 May 2021317K-10.6%80K3.98
    30 April 2021355K+6.0%98K3.62
    15 April 2021335K-1.2%66K5.06
    31 March 2021339K-27.0%153K2.22
    15 March 2021465K+47.8%83K5.59
    26 February 2021314K+38.1%67K4.67
    12 February 2021228K+2.6%58K3.89
    29 January 2021222K+25.1%109K2.03
    15 January 2021177K-23.3%74K2.39
    31 December 2020231K-7.9%100K2.32
    15 December 2020251K+9.0%52K4.80
    30 November 2020230K-11.6%81K2.83
    13 November 2020261K-0.9%53K4.95
    30 October 2020263K+21.9%51K5.20
    15 October 2020216K-0.4%56K3.88
    30 September 2020216K+43.5%92K2.36
    15 September 2020151K-24.3%47K3.24
    31 August 2020199K-9.2%47K4.28
    14 August 2020220K-23.7%66K3.35
    31 July 2020288K+3.8%92K3.12
    15 July 2020278K+1.6%58K4.78
    30 June 2020273K+7.4%96K2.84
    15 June 2020254K+2.6%85K3.00
    29 May 2020248K-9.1%68K3.66
    15 May 2020273K-13.0%75K3.64
    30 April 2020314K-5.1%128K2.46
    15 April 2020330K+15.6%119K2.78
    31 March 2020286K-13.2%164K1.75
    13 March 2020329K-22.3%95K3.46
    28 February 2020424K+16.2%95K4.45
    14 February 2020365K-0.1%50K7.29
    31 January 2020365K-12.5%188K1.94
    15 January 2020417K-7.6%76K5.50
    31 December 2019451K-10.0%120K3.76
    13 December 2019501K+7.7%91K5.53
    29 November 2019466K-2.4%63K7.36
    15 November 2019477K-1.8%74K6.44
    31 October 2019486K-10.1%111K4.39
    15 October 2019540K-3.4%47K11.45
    30 September 2019559K-33.1%81K6.93
    13 September 2019835K+35.2%75K11.18
    30 August 2019618K+6.5%49K12.50
    15 August 2019580K-5.3%64K9.06
    31 July 2019612K+2.7%113K5.40
    15 July 2019596K+1.3%88K6.75
    28 June 2019589K-21.5%146K4.04
    14 June 2019750K+23.6%65K11.55
    31 May 2019607K-8.0%79K7.66
    15 May 2019660K-15.2%109K6.07
    30 April 2019778K+37.9%323K2.41
    15 April 2019564K+33.8%122K4.64
    29 March 2019422K-19.5%117K3.60
    15 March 2019524K-0.8%135K3.89
    28 February 2019528K+2.7%135K3.91
    15 February 2019514K+17.7%144K3.58
    31 January 2019437K+35.8%316K1.38
    15 January 2019322K+5.9%134K2.40
    31 December 2018304K-13.7%220K1.38
    14 December 2018352K-10.6%100K3.54
    30 November 2018394K-4.3%78K5.05
    15 November 2018412K+20.5%113K3.63
    31 October 2018342K-12.3%218K1.57
    15 October 2018390K-6.6%108K3.61
    28 September 2018417K-0.5%114K3.68
    14 September 2018419K+6.2%117K3.58
    31 August 2018395K+48.1%141K2.79
    15 August 2018267K-24.9%138K1.94
    31 July 2018355K-44.6%271K1.31
    13 July 2018641K-20.4%72K8.89
    29 June 2018805K+1.7%69K11.62
    15 June 2018791K+19.3%63K12.51
    31 May 2018663K-27.0%68K9.69
    15 May 2018908K-3.2%68K13.28
    30 April 2018938K-5.7%139K6.77
    13 April 2018995K+8.7%149K6.68
    29 March 2018915K-27.8%138K6.63
    15 March 20181.3M+44.1%101K12.50
    28 February 2018880K-31.4%100K8.76
    15 February 20181.3M+0.4%122K10.52
    31 January 20181.3M+26.2%193K6.62
    12 January 20181.0M-28.7%97K10.48
    29 December 20171.4M141K10.11
    Shares in millions (M) or thousands (K); hold the pointer on a figure for the exact count. FINRA publishes consolidated short interest twice a month, about ten days after each settlement.