Berkshire Short Interest Up 136% (BRK.B)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Short interest in Berkshire Hathway BRK more than doubled in the second half of June, just days before an analyst put a rare "sell" recommendation on the stock. Short interest on Berkshire Hathaway "B" shares rose to nearly 52 million at the end of June from 22 million at the middle of the month, according to New York Stock Exchange data released late Monday. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Meyer Shields downgraded Berkshire to "sell" from "hold" on July 8, arguing a weaker economy will hurt the shares of the conglomerate. Analysts generally put very few "sell" recommendations on stocks as a rule. Goldman Sachs analysts took the opposite view, initiating coverage of Berkshire with a "buy" on June 29. To read the rest of this article, click here.