Last month's top 10 short squeeze candidates — how did they actually do?
On 2026-06-01, our composite squeeze score flagged the ten names below as the highest-readiness candidates on the board — high short interest, rising days-to-cover, and at least one bullish technical setup confirming the squeeze thesis.
Over the next 30 calendar days (through 2026-06-30), the basket punished anyone who simply bought and held. The average peak gain was +9.5%, against an average drawdown of -18.4% and an average buy-and-hold return of -6.9%. 3 of 10 names closed green; 1 lost more than 20%.
The screener surfaced lukewarm bounces at best — UHAL alone touched +18.8% intra-window — but as is typical for short squeeze setups, the winners failed to outrun the losers when held to today. Most names rolled over before any squeeze fully developed. Below is each candidate, in order of composite score, with the price action that followed.
The numbers, top-to-bottom
| # | Ticker | Company | Score | SI % | DTC | Peak | Drawdown | Held to today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLCE | Children's Place, Inc. | 99.1 | 42.4% | 13.9 | -1.8% | -37.8% | -31.2% |
| 2 | IBO | Impact BioMedical, Inc. | 96.1 | 59.2% | 13.7 | +11.9% | -19.9% | -17.0% |
| 3 | SPRY | ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Common Stock | 96.0 | 53.7% | 13.3 | +15.3% | -20.5% | -15.1% |
| 4 | HPK | HighPeak Energy, Inc. Common Stock | 95.9 | 29.9% | 10.4 | +14.7% | -14.3% | -6.3% |
| 5 | WBTN | WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Common Stock | 95.2 | 30.9% | 14.8 | +2.5% | -14.8% | -9.1% |
| 6 | AVBP | ArriVent BioPharma, Inc. Common Stock | 94.8 | 33.7% | 22.6 | +16.8% | -7.7% | +13.2% |
| 7 | UHAL | U-Haul Holding Company | 94.5 | 23.5% | 9.8 | +18.8% | -3.2% | +15.5% |
| 8 | AISP | Airship AI Holdings, Inc. Class A Common Stock | 92.5 | 27.2% | 8.6 | +11.2% | -22.8% | -19.8% |
| 9 | KOD | Kodiak Sciences Inc Common Stock | 91.9 | 36.4% | 15.8 | +6.7% | -20.9% | +5.6% |
| 10 | IBTA | Ibotta, Inc. | 91.8 | 44.5% | 13.5 | -1.2% | -21.7% | -4.8% |
Ticker by ticker
#1. PLCE — Children's Place, Inc. · $93M · score 99.1
PLCE (Children's Place, Inc.) ($93M) Consumer Brands & Retail sector — entered the window at $4.43. A critical-risk reading on the squeeze board: a composite of 99.1 backed by 42.4% of float and 13.9 days-to-cover. The squeeze never really fired — the best print was $4.35 on the 1st session, only -1.8% off the entry. The other side of the trade hurt: $2.75 on the 18th session (-37.8% from entry) was the worst of it. Net of the trip, this one is -31.2% — the worst-case outcome for a screener pick.
#2. IBO — Impact BioMedical, Inc. · $56M · score 96.1
IBO (Impact BioMedical, Inc.) ($56M) Biotech - Drug Development sector — entered the window at $0.554. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 96.1 backed by 59.2% of float and 13.7 days-to-cover. Squeeze risk on paper, no squeeze in the tape — high of $0.620 on the 6th session, just +11.9% above entry. Drawdown was steep — the 17th session saw price tag $0.444, a -19.9% retrace from the start. Net of the round trip, the position prints -17.0%, a clear loss for the buy-and-hold variant.
#3. SPRY — ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Common Stock · $901M · score 96.0
SPRY (ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Common Stock) ($901M) Biotech - Drug Development sector — entered the window at $9.43. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 96.0 backed by 53.7% of float and 13.3 days-to-cover. The thesis paid off briefly — buyers pushed the tape to $10.87 on the 16th session for a +15.3% pop. Drawdown was steep — the 17th session saw price tag $7.50, a -20.5% retrace from the start. Net of the round trip, the position prints -15.1%, a clear loss for the buy-and-hold variant.
#4. HPK — HighPeak Energy, Inc. Common Stock · $897M · score 95.9
HPK (HighPeak Energy, Inc. Common Stock) ($897M) Oil & Gas sector — entered the window at $7.46. A critical-risk reading on the squeeze board: a composite of 95.9 backed by 29.9% of float and 10.4 days-to-cover. The squeeze did show up — price ran to $8.56 by the 8th session, a +14.7% move from entry. The other side of the trade hurt: $6.39 on the 16th session (-14.3% from entry) was the worst of it. As of yesterday's close the trade sits at -6.3% — the setup looked good on paper but the market disagreed.
#5. WBTN — WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Common Stock · $1.7B · score 95.2
WBTN (WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Common Stock) ($1.7B) Entertainment & Gaming sector — entered the window at $12.56. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 95.2 backed by 30.9% of float and 14.8 days-to-cover. Squeeze risk on paper, no squeeze in the tape — high of $12.87 on the 11th session, just +2.5% above entry. Drawdown was steep — the 16th session saw price tag $10.70, a -14.8% retrace from the start. Net of the round trip, the position prints -9.1%, a clear loss for the buy-and-hold variant.
#6. AVBP — ArriVent BioPharma, Inc. Common Stock · $1.4B · score 94.8
AVBP (ArriVent BioPharma, Inc. Common Stock) ($1.4B) Healthcare - Oncology sector — entered the window at $30.68. A critical-risk reading on the squeeze board: a composite of 94.8 backed by 33.7% of float and 22.6 days-to-cover. The squeeze did show up — price ran to $35.83 by the 18th session, a +16.8% move from entry. Pullbacks were shallow; the low at $28.31 on the 1st session was just -7.7% from the entry. Held to today, the trade prints +13.2% — a clear win for the composite score.
#7. UHAL — U-Haul Holding Company · $12.7B · score 94.5
UHAL (U-Haul Holding Company) ($12.7B) entered the window at $56.66. The score flagged it as critical-risk squeeze: a composite of 94.5 backed by 23.5% of float and 9.8 days-to-cover. The setup worked: the 19th session brought a high of $67.34, a +18.8% swing from the entry close. Bears never got much: $54.84 on the 2nd session, -3.2% below entry, was as deep as it went. Net of all the noise, the trade is up +15.5% as of last night's close — the screener's pick worked.
#8. AISP — Airship AI Holdings, Inc. Class A Common Stock · $104M · score 92.5
AISP (Airship AI Holdings, Inc. Class A Common Stock) ($104M) AI & Machine Learning sector — entered the window at $2.98. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 92.5 backed by 27.2% of float and 8.6 days-to-cover. Squeeze risk on paper, no squeeze in the tape — high of $3.31 on the 1st session, just +11.2% above entry. Drawdown was steep — the 18th session saw price tag $2.30, a -22.8% retrace from the start. Net of the round trip, the position prints -19.8%, a clear loss for the buy-and-hold variant.
#9. KOD — Kodiak Sciences Inc Common Stock · $2.3B · score 91.9
KOD (Kodiak Sciences Inc Common Stock) ($2.3B) Biotech - Drug Development sector — entered the window at $36.91. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 91.9 backed by 36.4% of float and 15.8 days-to-cover. Squeeze risk on paper, no squeeze in the tape — high of $39.39 on the 20th session, just +6.7% above entry. Drawdown was steep — the 6th session saw price tag $29.21, a -20.9% retrace from the start. As of last night's close the position is +5.6% from entry, a wash after a volatile month.
#10. IBTA — Ibotta, Inc. · $797M · score 91.8
IBTA (Ibotta, Inc.) ($797M) E-Commerce & Digital Retail sector — entered the window at $35.89. On the day, our composite tagged it critical: a composite of 91.8 backed by 44.5% of float and 13.5 days-to-cover. Squeeze risk on paper, no squeeze in the tape — high of $35.47 on the 1st session, just -1.2% above entry. Drawdown was steep — the 13th session saw price tag $28.10, a -21.7% retrace from the start. As of last night's close the position is -4.8% from entry, a wash after a volatile month.