Viridien shares lose ground, weighed down by Brent decline
The geosciences group is losing ground at the end of the week, as Brent retreats below 103 dollars and the SBF 120 is also in negative territory. The downward pressure marks a difficult month for the stock, despite a North Sea contract announced yesterday.
A session decline that erases part of the weekly rebound, in a market under tension
Viridien falls 1.43% to €92.85 in trading, in a CAC 40 down 0.77% and an SBF 120 declining 0.74%. The Brent retreat, trading at $102.57/barrel this Friday (down 2.15% in session), weighs on all values exposed to the oil cycle, of which Viridien is part. Nevertheless, the week remains positive: the stock still shows nearly 5% gains over seven days, thanks to the rebound observed mid-week.
Over a month, however, the balance sheet is more severe, with a decline of 6.26%, in a context of Brent prices that had substantially wavered before recovering. The five-year contract signed with Ithaca Energy for environmental monitoring of post-decommissioning offshore facilities in the North Sea, announced yesterday by press release, was not enough to support the price this morning. Over the rolling year, the stock nevertheless maintains a gain of nearly 54%, reflecting the substantial revaluation accumulated since September 2025.
High short positions at nearly 7% of capital, increasing over one month
The configuration of short sales on Viridien warrants attention. According to disclosed declarations, eight funds cumulate 6.96% of capital sold short, a high level, up 0.73 points compared to thirty days ago. This increase reflects sustained institutional bearish positioning around the stock, without being able to precisely deduce the motivations of the participants: hedging another exposure, directional bet on Brent or on Viridien's prospects. What can be observed is that this level of short interest has strengthened over the month, even as the stock rebounded.
Technically, the price remains above its 20-day moving average at €88.56 (difference of +4.84%) and its 50-day moving average at €87.40 (+6.24%), two thresholds that played a floor role during recent declines. The 200-day moving average at €107.91, however, remains clearly above the current price, at nearly 14% difference, and constitutes a structural ceiling in the overall trend. The RSI at 57 is neutral, with no overbought signal or immediate buyer exhaustion. The support at €82.60 remains the reference to monitor in case of accelerated decline.
