Avis Budget Stock Soars 160% in a Short Squeeze Melt-Up

Avis Budget Group (CAR) stock has rocketed higher, gaining roughly 19% on Tuesday and an astonishing 160% over the past month. The stock, trading around $250, is seeing volume several times its daily average as traders pile into the move.

This explosive rally is not being driven by positive company news or a financial turnaround. Instead, it's a classic short squeeze in action. Short interest in Avis is extremely high at over 48%, meaning nearly half of its tradable shares were sold short by investors betting the price would fall.

As the stock price began to rise, those short sellers were forced to buy shares to cover their positions, which pushed the price even higher in a feedback loop. This technical dynamic has been amplified by a surge in bullish chatter on social media platforms, pulling in momentum traders and options players.

The stock's Relative Strength Index (RSI), a momentum indicator, hit 85.3 on Tuesday, a level that typically signals the stock is severely overbought and due for a pullback.

This matters because the stock's price has completely detached from the company's financial reality. While the chart is screaming higher, the business is facing serious challenges. Last quarter, Avis reported a massive $856 million GAAP net loss, largely due to a $518 million write-down on its U.S. electric vehicle fleet after its EV strategy failed.

The company's full-year adjusted EBITDA of $748 million also fell short of its own prior guidance of $900 million, raising red flags about its execution and financial discipline. These issues have even attracted the attention of shareholder and securities investigations.

Wall Street analysts remain deeply skeptical. Major firms like Morgan Stanley and Barclays carry ratings equivalent to Hold or Sell, with average price targets in the low-$100 range—less than half of the current stock price. They cite the company's heavy debt load and unpredictable cash flow as major risks.

For investors, this creates a dangerous scenario. The current rally is a momentum-driven event, not a fundamental recovery. With analysts still expecting substantial losses in upcoming quarters, the stock's lofty price appears unsustainable, making it highly vulnerable to a sharp reversal when the short-squeeze momentum fades.