Edinburgh-based fund Abrdn manager remains the fourth-most-shorted stock in the UK following disappointing results in August and has attracted the attention of two new short sellers, AHL Partners and Samlyn Capital, according to a report by CityWire.
The report cites Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) filings as revealing that AHL Partners disclosed a 0.5% short position in September, while Samlyn Capital disclosed a 0.62% net short position in August.
AHL Partners is a division of Man Group and takes a ‘systematic’ rather than discretionary approach to investing, meaning the move is believed to be quant-driven.
GLG Partners, another unit at Man, has also been betting on a fall in the fund group’s share price since at least 2020.
Samlyn Capital meanwhile, is a New York-based long-short fund founded by Tiger Management and SAC alum Robert Pohly.
A total of 9.18% of Abrdn shares are now being held on loan – indicating overall short interest – suggesting that the market remains bearish on the firm’s prospects in the wake of weak interim results two months ago.
BlackRock currently holds the most stock short at 1.26%, following by Citadel at 0.62%.
