Vantage Consulting Group Inc Invests $1.55 Million in Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB)

Vantage Consulting Group Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Potbelly Co. (NASDAQ:PBPB) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 164,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,553,000. Potbelly accounts for about 14.8% of Vantage Consulting Group Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PBPB. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Potbelly by 1,101.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 7,956 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Potbelly by 662.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 10,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 9,493 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Potbelly in the fourth quarter valued at about $121,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Potbelly by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 13,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Potbelly by 50.8% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 19,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 6,610 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Potbelly

In related news, major shareholder David Nierenberg acquired 7,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $9.23 per share, for a total transaction of $70,148.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 101,998 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,441.54. The trade was a 8.05 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PBPB has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Potbelly in a research note on Friday, March 7th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Potbelly in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Potbelly from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Potbelly Trading Down 2.3 %

NASDAQ:PBPB opened at $9.34 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.85. Potbelly Co. has a fifty-two week low of $6.28 and a fifty-two week high of $13.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $279.08 million, a PE ratio of 7.47 and a beta of 1.50.

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.