🎉 Get a 1% match on 401(k) rollovers and IRA contributions. Learn more

What Is Buy to Cover & How Does It Work?

By Dan Miller. February 22, 2022 · 4 minute read

We’re here to help! First and foremost, SoFi Learn strives to be a beneficial resource to you as you navigate your financial journey. We develop content that covers a variety of financial topics. Sometimes, that content may include information about products, features, or services that SoFi does not provide. We aim to break down complicated concepts, loop you in on the latest trends, and keep you up-to-date on the stuff you can use to help get your money right.

What Is Buy to Cover & How Does It Work?

Buy to cover refers to when investors purchase shares in a stock that they had previously shorted. This is a form of margin trading that involves higher risk than more traditional buying and selling.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the buy to cover order, how it fits into short selling and margin trading, and when you might want to use a buy to cover order.

Buy to Cover Meaning

Traditionally, you buy a stock on which you have a bullish outlook, and sell to close out your position. In an ideal situation, you buy low and sell high, securing the difference between the purchase price and the sale price as your profit. If you think a stock is currently overpriced, you might sell the stock before you have actually purchased it, via a short sale. This requires temporarily borrowing the shares, usually from your broker or dealer. Then, once the stock (hopefully) goes down, you purchase the shares, closing out your position.

Buying to cover is that after-the-fact purchase of shares that you previously shorted. When you do a short sale by selling first, you will eventually need to repay your short sale by purchasing shares.

What Is a Buy to Cover Limit?

When placing a buy-to-cover order, there are two ways that you can close your position. The first is a market order, in which you simply close the position at the first available market price. The other method involves using a buy-to-cover limit order, in which you set a maximum price at which you’re willing to purchase the share.

One advantage of the latter approach is that you know exactly the price that you’ll get for your shares. This can help you when planning your overall strategy. A drawback, however, is that if the market moves against you, your order may not get filled.

How Does Buy to Cover Work?

A buy-to-cover order works much in the same way as a traditional buy order. The main difference is the order in which you make your buy and sell transactions. In a traditional buy order, you purchase shares that you intend to later sell. With a buy-to-cover order, you’re buying shares to cover a sale that you previously made.

Example of a Buy to Cover Stock

Here’s a buy to cover stock example to help illustrate how the process works:

•   Let’s say that you think stock ABC is overpriced at $50.

•   You sell short 100 shares of ABC, borrowing $5,000 on margin from your broker.

•   After a few days, stock ABC’s price has dropped to $45.

•   You issue a buy to cover order for 100 shares of ABC, paying $4,500.

•   Your profit is $500 — the difference between the amount you receive from the short sale and the amount you pay to close the position.

Sell Short vs Buy to Cover

“Selling short” and “buying to cover” are two sides of the same transaction. If you think that a particular stock or investment is likely to go down in price, you can use a short sale to first sell shares that you’ve borrowed on margin, generally from your broker or dealer.

When you’re ready to close out your short sale transaction, you can place a buy-to-cover order. This will purchase the shares that you sold originally, either at the market price or with a buy-to-cover limit order at a particular price. If the stock has gone down in price as you expected, you will profit from selling high and then buying low.

Buy to Cover and Margin Trades

Using a buy to cover order is intricately tied in with both short selling and margin trading. When you sell short, you are using margin trading to borrow shares to sell that you don’t yet own.

When you are ready to close out your position, you issue a buy-to-cover order, purchasing the shares you need to correspond to the shares that you earlier sold on margin. Keep in mind that if the stock moves against you after your short sale (the stock’s price goes up instead of down), you face a margin call, in which your broker forces you to either liquidate your position or add extra money to cover your position.

The Takeaway

A buy to cover is a purchase order executed to close out a short sale position. In a traditional sale, you purchase a stock first and then later sell the shares. When you sell short, you place a buy-to-cover order to close your position.

Trading options can be tricky, so it’s important to study up as you invest, which is where an options trading platform like SoFi’s comes in handy. It provides access to a library of educational resources about options. Plus, the platform’s intuitive and approachable design gives investors the ability to trade options from the mobile or web platform.

Trade options with low fees through SoFi.


Photo credit: iStock/Ridofranz

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.

Options involve risks, including substantial risk of loss and the possibility an investor may lose the entire amount invested in a short period of time. Before an investor begins trading options they should familiarize themselves with the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options . Tax considerations with options transactions are unique, investors should consult with their tax advisor to understand the impact to their taxes.
SOIN1121489

TLS 1.2 Encrypted
Equal Housing Lender