PTEN Short Volume
Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (PTEN) operates in the Energy sector, specifically the Oil & Gas Drilling industry, with a market capitalization near $4.56B, listed on NASDAQ, employing roughly 9,200 people, carrying a beta of 0.65 to the broader market. Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. Led by William Andrew Hendricks Jr., public since 1993-11-02.
Short volume measures the number of shares sold short on a given day as reported by FINRA. Tracking short volume relative to total volume helps identify unusual bearish sentiment or short-squeeze potential.
- Latest Date
- 2026-05-15
- Short Volume
- 1.3M
- Total Volume
- 2.3M
- Short %
- 55.61%
- 30-Day Avg Short %
- 50.16%
Showing 30 days of FINRA short volume data for Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc..
Learn how short volume is reported and how to read the data →
PTEN most-active contracts
| Type | Strike | Expiration | Volume | OI | IV | Bid | Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CALL | $11.00 | Aug 21, 2026 | 15 | 37.2K | 58.6% | $2.10 | $2.20 |
| CALL | $12.00 | Aug 21, 2026 | 26 | 35.7K | 56.2% | $1.55 | $1.65 |
| CALL | $12.00 | Aug 21, 2026 | 26 | 35.7K | 56.2% | $1.55 | $1.65 |
| CALL | $11.00 | Aug 21, 2026 | 15 | 37.2K | 58.6% | $2.10 | $2.20 |
Top 4 contracts from the ORATS-sourced nightly scan; ranked by volume within the broader S&P 500/400/600 + ETF universe.
Frequently asked PTEN short volume questions
- What is the daily PTEN short volume?
- As of May 15, 2026, Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (PTEN) short volume is 1.3M shares against 2.3M total reported volume, or 55.61% short-side. Short volume measures shares sold short during the day; it is flow, not inventory.
- How is PTEN short volume reported?
- FINRA publishes the Daily Short Sale Volume File for trades reported to FINRA TRFs and the FINRA/Nasdaq ADF on a T+1 basis. The headline figure is the count of shares that printed at the short-sale or short-exempt tick across all reporting venues for the symbol; each exchange separately publishes its own daily short-sale data file.
- What does PTEN short volume tell options traders?
- Daily short-sale flow is one input that helps disambiguate dealer-hedging activity from directional bear flow when the chain shows fresh customer call inventory. It is not a clean MM-only proxy: the headline number mixes directional shorting, options-MM delta-hedging, ETF-creation arbitrage, and convertible-arb hedging. Cross-check against gamma-exposure and OI changes for a cleaner read.