Active longs falling, shorts rising — with heavy YTD losses despite growing positions.

LiveNation (LYV) is trading at an all-time high, up 32% year-to-date (YTD) and 12% month-to-date in August. As the stock has climbed, the short interest % of float has increased from 8% to 12.5%—a notable 56% jump.

Short-side concerns center on valuation pressures and ongoing legal risks, such as federal antitrust investigations.

S3’s Crowded Short score has risen to 67.5, reflecting increasingly concentrated positioning. The Short Squeeze score now stands at 77.5, driven by August’s sharp price rally and elevated short interest. Short Squeeze score has touched 75 multiple times over the past month, mirroring LYV’s gains in August.

While the stock moved higher as short interest data slightly declined, the reduction was too modest to qualify as a short squeeze—suggesting limited short covering activity.

Active vs passive ownership data shows a decline in active institutional long interest, while passive long holdings have increased in tandem with the stock’s rise. Hedge fund ownership data indicates a notable reduction in exposure, highlighting a potential shift in positioning sentiment.

Short-selling sentiment data reveals $700 million in mark-to-market losses—ranking among the highest YTD for a company of LiveNation’s market cap.

Want to know more? Access this data in real time using S3’s BLACK APP & BLACK MAP

The information herein (some of which has been obtained from third party sources without verification) is believed by S3 Partners, LLC (“S3 Partners”) to be reliable and accurate. Neither S3 Partners nor any of its affiliates makes any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information herein or accepts liability arising from its use. Prior to making any decisions based on the information herein, you should determine, without reliance upon S3 Partners, the economic risks, and merits, as well as the legal, tax, accounting, and investment consequences, of such decisions.