Market Flash on Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NOVA)

Solar energy company Sunnova Energy International Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 9 as the company struggled with mounting debt and challenging market conditions in the residential solar sector. The Houston-based company, which provides solar energy systems and services to residential customers, has faced significant financial pressures amid rising interest rates and increased competition in the solar installation market.

EquiLend’s borrow data showed robust demand for shares to short throughout NOVA’s financial difficulties. On loan quantities averaged over 30 million shares over the quarter, with peak borrowing reaching 37.7 million shares. Our short interest indicator data revealed elevated market sentiment concerns well before the June 9 bankruptcy filing and well before the company’s March 3 bankruptcy warning. NOVA’s short interest indicator (SII) averaged 28.8% over the past quarter, with readings consistently elevated between 25-35% throughout the period, signaling bearish sentiment among market participants.

The combination of substantial borrow quantities and consistently high short interest indicator readings provided early signals of market distress. These metrics offered market participants critical insights into overall market sentiment that proved to be leading indicators of corporate events.

Book a demo of EquiLend Data & Analytics today to receive these signals and more in real-time: https://equilend.com/contact-us/.

Bloomberg Terminal users can subscribe to EquiLend’s exclusive short selling and financing data by entering terminal shortcut APPS ORBISA <GO> or clicking the following link: https://on.equilend.com/bloomberg-terminal-page.