Potbelly Corporation (PBPB) Soars to 52-Week High, Time to Cash Out?

Core Insights - Potbelly's shares have increased by 37.8% over the past month, reaching a new 52-week high of $17.07, and have gained 81% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry [1] Financial Performance - Potbelly has consistently exceeded earnings expectations, reporting an EPS of $0.09 against a consensus estimate of $0.08 in its last earnings report on August 6, 2025 [2] - For the current fiscal year, Potbelly is projected to earn $0.26 per share on revenues of $481.9 million, reflecting a -13.33% change in EPS and a 4.17% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, earnings are expected to rise to $0.30 per share on revenues of $502.5 million, indicating a year-over-year change of 15.38% in EPS and 4.27% in revenues [3] Valuation Metrics - Potbelly's current valuation metrics indicate a premium, trading at 65.6X current fiscal year EPS estimates compared to the peer industry average of 22.8X, and at 23.1X on a trailing cash flow basis versus an average of 9.7X for its peer group [6] Zacks Rank and Style Scores - Potbelly holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) due to a favorable earnings estimate revision trend, which suggests potential for the stock in the near future. The company has a Value Score of B, a Growth Score of B, and a Momentum Score of D, resulting in a combined VGM Score of B [5][7]