POET Stock Drops Premarket: Retail Optimism Holds Firm Even As Short Interest Rises

• POET stock declined 5% in Thursday’s premarket session.
• Short interest in POET has risen in recent months.
• Stockwits sentiment climbed higher in the ‘extremely bullish’ zone; however, some traders question whether the rally would sustain.

POET Technologies shares fell more than 5% in premarket trading on Thursday, snapping a dream rally fueled by optimism around its photonic chips and a strong order pipeline.

POET Order Comments Spark Rally

POET shares gained a staggering 75% in three days until Wednesday after the company disclosed a business relationship with Marvell Technologies and a slew of order conversations.

Speaking exclusively to Stocktwits’ Michele Steele earlier this week, CFO Thomas Mika said POET had received a purchase order linked to Marvell and was waiting to “hear back” on newer ones from Foxconn and Luxshare. The Marvell-linked order is tied to Celestial AI, which Marvell acquired earlier this year.

POET Short Interest Climbs

With gains, short interest in the stock has also risen. As per Koyfin data, 8.6% shares of POET were shorted compared to 6.1% at the start of February, nearing a record high.

Massive trading volume and rapidly rising prices have put significant pressure on short sellers. Wolfpack Research disclosed a short position in POET last week and said the company was keeping U.S. shareholders in the dark regarding certain tax implications.

The market will “render its verdict” a year from now, Wolfpack said in a follow-on statement on Wednesday, responding to Mika calling short sellers “maggots” and Wolfpack’s allegations “nothing burger.” 

POET Stock: How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for POET moved higher in the ‘extremely bullish’ zone early Thursday, compared to the previous day. Message volume for the ticker has increased nearly 300% in the past seven days. 

Still, some investors appeared skeptical over whether the rally would sustain. “$POET bullish long term, but it's gone up too steep too fast. Time to come down,” said a trader.  (It is) not sustainable, especially given the historical trading pattern. Needs to retrace. I'll buy back in below 8, maybe.”

POET shares have more than doubled so far in 2026.

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