logologo
    logo
    Log in
    Browse help/Insider and short interest filters

    Insider and short interest filters

    Requires Super ProAvailable on: Web · iOS · Android

    On this page

    Insider filters find stocks where company insiders traded their own shares: officers, directors and large holders. Short filters find stocks that traders are betting against, or have stopped betting against. Both read slower data than price, so they set the backdrop for a trade rather than its timing.

    Both filter types need Super Pro.

    Tour

    Each filter type has two forms: a direct value and a technical study on the series.

    • Short filter, then Latest value: compare the most recent short reading with a number.
    • Short filter, then Technical study: run a moving average or unusual-activity study on a short series.
    • Insider filter, then Price: match insider trades by price, date and owner.
    • Insider filter, then Technical filter: run a moving average or unusual-volume study on insider trading.

    The insider row matches trades. The short row reads the latest report.

    How often the data updates

    DataUpdatesWhat a value means
    Short Interest, Days to Cover, Avg Daily Volume (SI report)Twice a monthShares sold short and still open on the settlement date. Each figure lags the market by the time it takes to settle and publish.
    Short Volume, Short Volume Ratio, Total Volume (SV report)Every trading dayShares sold short during that day's trading, many of them closed the same day.
    Insider tradesAs insiders fileInsiders report a trade on SEC Form 4, due within two business days of the trade. The filter reads the trade date.

    The row shows the cadence next to the input, such as "latest · bi-monthly settlements" or "latest · daily".

    Short interest and short volume measure different things. Short interest is a position count: how many shares are short and open. Short volume counts short sales during one day, including market makers and day traders who close by the end of the day. A high short volume ratio alone doesn't mean a crowded short.

    Create and configure

    Short filter

    1. Click + on a filter group, point to Short filter, and pick Latest value or Technical study.
    2. Pick the input, such as Short Interest or Days to Cover.
    3. Pick a condition and type the value, or a minimum and maximum for a range.
    4. Click Scan.

    Insider filter

    1. Click + on a filter group, point to Insider filter, and pick Price or Technical filter.
    2. On a Price row, set the price condition in USD.
    3. To limit the date, pick a Since date. The row then keeps trades on or after it.
    4. To limit the insider, pick Owner Name or Owner CIK, choose All or Any, and search for owners.
    5. Click Scan.

    A stock matches a Price row when at least one insider trade meets every condition on the row. Purchases and sales both count. The row doesn't split them.

    Reference

    Short inputs

    InputWhat it isUnit
    Short InterestReported short interest on the settlement date.Shares
    Days to CoverShort interest divided by average daily volume: how many days of normal trading it would take to close every short.Days
    Avg Daily Volume (SI report)The average daily volume published with the short interest figure.Shares
    Short VolumeShares sold short during the day.Shares
    Short Volume RatioShort volume divided by total volume for the day.Ratio
    Total Volume (SV report)Total volume in the same daily short volume report.Shares

    Short studies

    StudyWhat it does
    Trend - Simple Moving Average (Short)Averages a short input over a period. The period counts report steps: trading days for daily inputs, settlements for short interest inputs.
    Unusual Short ActivityHow many standard deviations the latest value sits from its own average. Use it to spot a jump in short selling or short interest.

    Insider inputs and studies

    The Technical filter studies run on a daily series of insider trades:

    InputWhat it is
    Transaction PriceThe average price of the day's insider trades, in USD.
    Amount of SharesThe total shares traded by insiders that day.
    Transaction CountThe number of insider trades that day.
    StudyWhat it does
    Trend - Simple Moving AverageAverages the input over a period.
    Unusual VolumeHow many standard deviations the latest value sits from its own average. Use it on Amount of Shares to find a burst of insider trading.

    Plans

    FilterFreeSuperSuper Pro
    Short filterNoNoYes
    Insider filterNoNoYes

    Quick reference

    StyleSettingWhy
    Swing tradingDays to Cover above 5Crowded shorts that could squeeze on good news.
    Swing tradingUnusual Short Activity on Short VolumeA sudden rise in daily short selling.
    Position tradingUnusual Volume on insider Amount of SharesA burst of insider trading worth a look at the filings.
    InvestingPrice row with a recent Since dateStocks where insiders traded in the last few weeks.

    Tips

    • Pair short interest with a price trend. A heavily shorted stock in an uptrend can squeeze. In a downtrend the shorts are often right.
    • Read short interest as slow data. A twice-monthly figure can't tell you what shorts did this week. Use daily short volume for that.
    • Check the filings behind an insider match. A planned sale for taxes means little. Several officers buying at once means more.
    • Add a liquidity filter. Small, thin stocks fill the top of any days-to-cover list.

    Troubleshooting

    IssueCauseSolution
    Short filter and Insider filter are grayed out with a bolt icon.Both need Super Pro.Upgrade to Super Pro.
    A saved scan's short or insider row is locked.Your plan changed, or the scan came from a Super Pro user.While the row is switched on, the scan stops with a Scan error. Delete the row, or upgrade to Super Pro.
    My scan fails after I set only a Since date.Since can't be the row's only condition.Add a price condition or an owner.
    My short interest results haven't changed in days.Short interest updates twice a month.Expected. Use Short Volume for a daily read.
    I can't set an owner or a date on mobile.Owner and Since filtering are on web only for now.Set them on web. The saved scan carries them to mobile.

    Related

    Technical filtersThe studies, conditions and windows behind the technical forms of these filters.Stock filtersPrice, volume and float filters to pair with short data.Scanner 101How a scan works and what each plan can use.GlossaryTerms used across the scanner.

    Was this page helpful?

    Still stuck?

    Ask scanr AI in the AI Terminal. It answers from this page. Included with Super and Super Pro.