Barclays PLC Boosts Holdings in Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB)

Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,480 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Potbelly were worth $410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PBPB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Potbelly by 122.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 67,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 36,930 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Potbelly in the fourth quarter valued at about $121,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Potbelly by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 539,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,086,000 after purchasing an additional 159,900 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Potbelly by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Potbelly by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 100,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $947,000 after purchasing an additional 5,194 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Potbelly

In related news, major shareholder David Nierenberg bought 22,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.36 per share, with a total value of $207,501.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 124,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,162,203.12. This trade represents a 21.73 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 10.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PBPB shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Potbelly in a research report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Potbelly in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Potbelly from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday.

Potbelly Stock Down 1.9 %

PBPB stock opened at $9.92 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.43. Potbelly Co. has a 1-year low of $6.28 and a 1-year high of $13.48. The firm has a market cap of $299.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 1.47.

About Potbelly

Potbelly Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and franchises Potbelly sandwich shops in the United States. The company was formerly known as Potbelly Sandwich Works, Inc and changed its name to Potbelly Corporation in 2002. Potbelly Corporation was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.