Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB) Short Interest Up 17.6% in January

Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 807,000 shares, an increase of 17.6% from the January 15th total of 686,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 181,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Potbelly Stock Performance

Shares of PBPB stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $12.64. 148,804 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 229,015. The company has a market cap of $378.44 million, a P/E ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.34. The company's 50 day moving average is $10.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.32. Potbelly has a 1 year low of $6.28 and a 1 year high of $14.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Potbelly

In other Potbelly news, major shareholder David Nierenberg bought 7,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.23 per share, with a total value of $70,148.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 101,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,441.54. This represents a 8.05 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 9.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Potbelly

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PBPB. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in Potbelly by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 7,012 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in Potbelly by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 31,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 1,456 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Potbelly by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 25,491 shares of the company's stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 2,418 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Potbelly during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Potbelly by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,400 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.60% of the company's stock.

Potbelly Company Profile

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.