Key Highlights

  • Capricor shares are trading 4.34% higher at $6.36 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from an implied prior close near $6.10 (calculated).
  • Short interest was 19,860,451 shares, or 37.62% of float, for the settlement date of October 15, 2026.
  • Days to cover were about 6.6, and short interest rose 5.5% from 18,825,352 shares on September 30, 2026.
  • The FDA extended its target action date on the deramiocel application to November 22, 2026 from August 22, 2026.
  • The second-quarter 2026 net loss was $40.7 million, or $0.70 per share.

Capricor Shares Rise: Is This a Reaction to Heavy Short Interest or to the FDA Clock?

Capricor (NASDAQ:CAPR) shares are trading 4.34% higher at $6.36 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The implied prior close is about $6.10, calculated from the price and the percentage move. No dated company announcement on October 28 accompanies the gain, so the move sits within a stretch of heavy short positioning ahead of a regulatory decision.

The stock closed at $5.74 on October 26, 2026, with a market value of about $333.7 million. The 52-week range is $2.96 to $40.37, and the shares were down roughly 80% from $28.86 at the start of 2026.

Capricor Short Interest: What Could 37.62% of the Float Mean for Volatility?

Short-interest data for the settlement date of October 15, 2026 shows 19,860,451 shares sold short, equal to 37.62% of the float, with about 6.6 days to cover at recent trading volume. That is up 5.5% from 18,825,352 shares on September 30, 2026.

A short position this large means a sizeable group of traders is positioned for a decline, often around the regulatory outcome. If the news turns favorable, short covering can add buying pressure and widen the price swing, while an unfavorable result can push the shares sharply lower. The figures are positioning data, not a forecast of either outcome.

Deramiocel Timeline: How Did the Application Reach a November 22 Deadline?

Capricor develops deramiocel, an allogeneic cardiosphere-derived cell therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic muscle-wasting disease. The FDA issued a complete response letter in July 2025 citing insufficient evidence of effectiveness and manufacturing deficiencies. On March 10, 2026, the agency lifted that letter and set an August 22, 2026 target date for a resubmission it classified as Class 2.

In July 2026 an FDA advisory committee voted 9 to 3 against the strength of the evidence on heart benefits. On August 24, 2026, Capricor said the agency had extended the review by three months to November 22, 2026 after it filed a major amendment adding 24-month open-label extension data and analyses for a narrower use focused on preserving upper-limb function.

The company has said the Phase 3 HOPE-3 trial met its primary endpoint and all error-controlled secondary endpoints. Data presented on March 12, 2026 included p-values of 0.008 for the elbow-level upper-limb assessment and 0.022 for fibrotic heart segments at 12 months.

A research firm, H.C. Wainwright, kept a Neutral rating after the advisory vote and flagged a high-risk profile. Capricor reported a second-quarter 2026 net loss of $40.7 million, or $0.70 per share, on August 13, 2026.

What to Watch Next: The November 9 Report and the November 22 Action Date

The next quarterly report is estimated for November 9, 2026, and the FDA target action date for deramiocel is November 22, 2026. The agency can act earlier or later, and the next short-interest update will show whether positioning changes ahead of the decision.