Question 1

What is the 52-week range?

Accepted Answer

The 52-week range shows the lowest and highest prices the stock has traded at over the past year of market sessions. A stock trading near its 52-week high may have strong momentum; one near its 52-week low may be beaten-down or offer a value opportunity — context matters. The range also signals historical volatility.

Question 2

What does Beta mean?

Accepted Answer

Beta measures a stock's price sensitivity relative to the overall market (usually the S&P 500). A beta of 1.0 means it historically moves in line with the market. Beta of 1.5 means it tends to move 50% more — up or down. Defensive stocks like utilities have betas below 1; high-growth tech names often exceed 1.5.

Question 3

What is short interest?

Accepted Answer

Short interest is the number of shares currently sold short — borrowed and sold by investors expecting the price to fall. A high short interest (especially as a % of float) indicates meaningful bearish sentiment. It can also set up a short squeeze: if the stock rises, shorts must buy to cover, accelerating gains.

Question 4

What does short % of float mean?

Accepted Answer

Short % of float = shares short ÷ shares available for public trading (the float). It normalizes short interest across companies of different sizes. Above 10% is notable; above 20% is heavily shorted and often considered a contrarian indicator. Heavily shorted stocks can move violently in either direction.

Question 5

What is 'days to cover' (short ratio)?

Accepted Answer

Days to cover = shares short ÷ average daily trading volume. It estimates how many days of normal trading it would take for all short sellers to buy back their shares. A high days-to-cover (above 5–7) amplifies short-squeeze risk because shorts cannot exit quickly without moving the price significantly against themselves.

Question 6

What is the difference between shares outstanding and the float?

Accepted Answer

Shares outstanding is the total number of shares a company has issued, including those held by insiders and restricted from trading. The float is the subset freely available to the public. Low-float stocks — where insiders own a large portion — tend to be more volatile because fewer shares are chasing the same buyer/seller pool.

WMT Key Statistics — 52-Week Range, Beta & Short Interest