Viridien stock rebounds 2.5%, but short sellers maintain their positions
The French geosciences specialist's shares recovered on Monday, in a Paris market broadly oriented upward. This rebound contrasts with Friday's session, when declining Brent crude weighed on the stock, and is accompanied by a level of net short positions that remains among the highest on the exchange.
A rebound that places the stock well above its first two moving averages
Viridien gains 2.27% to €94.50 in trading, with the SBF 120 advancing 0.94%. The stock is trading well above its 20-day moving average (€88.74, a difference of +6.49%) and its 50-day moving average (€87.65, a difference of +7.82%), two thresholds it had crossed upward in late August. The 200-day moving average, by contrast, remains out of reach at €107.95, still 12.46% above the current price. The RSI at 54 remains in neutral territory, with no sign of overbought conditions.
Over the week, the stock is already up 4.54%, and its one-year performance exceeds 56%. Brent is down about 3% on Monday, at $100.83 per barrel, against a backdrop of hope for a diplomatic de-escalation between Washington and Tehran at the UN General Assembly — a context that has not prevented Viridien from advancing. Resistance at €99.40 represents the next technical threshold to monitor, less than 5% from the current price.
Net short positions at 7% of capital testify to persistent pressure on the stock
According to filed declarations, eight funds cumulate a net short position of 7.04% of capital, up 0.75 percentage points over thirty days (compared to 6.29% a month earlier). This level remains among the highest within the SBF 120 and reflects institutional bearish conviction that persists despite the stock's rebound. A net short position of such magnitude signifies that a significant fraction of the float is being sold short by funds that anticipate — or seek to hedge — a decline in the stock.
The progression of this cumulative level over the month merits monitoring, particularly as the surveillance contract secured with Ithaca Energy in the North Sea and the partnership formed with the Rice AI Venture Accelerator in September illustrate sustained operational activity. The IEA's macroeconomic report from August 2026 noted a decline in global oil demand of 1.60 Mb/d for the year, a structural context that continues to weigh on the outlook for the petroleum geosciences sector. In this picture, support at €82.60 constitutes the reference level to monitor in the event of a resumption of selling pressure.
