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Graham Number is a figure that measures a stock's fundamental value by taking into account the company's earnings per share and book value per share. The Graham number is the upper bound of the price range that a defensive investor should pay for the stock. According to the theory, any stock price below the Graham number is considered undervalued, and thus worth investing in.
As of today (2026-07-23), the stock price of Potbelly is $17.12. Potbelly's graham number for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2025 was $3.91. Therefore, Potbelly's Price to Graham Number ratio for today is 4.38.
The historical rank and industry rank for Potbelly's Graham Number or its related term are showing as below:
PBPB's Price-to-Graham-Number is not ranked *
in the Restaurants industry.
Industry Median: 1.6 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Price-to-Graham-Number only.
Graham Number is a combination of asset valuation and earnings power valuation. It is a very conservative way of valuing a stock.
Potbelly (NAS:PBPB) Graham Number Explanation
Ben Graham actually did not publish a formula like this. But he wrote in The Intelligent Investor (1948 version) regarding to the criteria for purchases:
Current price should not be more than 15 times average earnings of the past three years.
Current price should not be more than 1.5 times the book value last reported. However, a multiplier of earnings below 15 could justify a correspondingly higher multiplier of assets. As a rule of thumb we suggest that the product of the multiplier times the ratio of price to book value should not exceed 22.5. (This figure corresponds to 15 times earnings and 1.5 times book value. It would admit an issue selling at only 9 times earnings and 2.5 times asset value, etc.)
Unlike valuation methods such as DCF or Discounted Earnings, the Graham number does not take growth into the valuation. Unlike the valuation methods based on book value alone, it takes into account the earnings power. Therefore, the Graham Number is a combination of asset valuation and earnings power valuation.
In general, the Graham number is a very conservative way of valuing a stock. It cannot be applied to companies with negative book values.
Potbelly's Price to Graham number Ratio for today is calculated as
Price to Graham number
=
Share Price (Today)
/
Graham number (Q: Jun. 2025 )
=
17.12
/
3.91
=
4.38
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Be Aware
Please keep these in mind:
1. Graham Number does not take growth into account. Therefore it underestimates the values of the companies that have good earnings growth. We feel that if the earnings per share grows more than 10% a year, Graham Number underestimates the value.
2. Graham Number punishes the companies that have temporarily low earnings. Therefore, an average of earnings makes more sense in the calculation of Graham Number.
3. Graham Numbers underestimates companies that are light with book.
Potbelly Graham Number Related Terms
Potbelly Graham Number Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Potbelly's Graham Number can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
PBPB vs BRCB, NATH, VENU: Graham Number Comparison
For the Restaurants subindustry, Potbelly's Price-to-Graham-Number, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Graham-Number data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Potbelly Price-to-Graham-Number vs Restaurants Industry
For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Potbelly's Price-to-Graham-Number distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Potbelly's Price-to-Graham-Number falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Potbelly (PBPB) has a Graham Number of $3.91 as of Jun. 2025. The Graham Number values a company based on its per-share earnings and book value. View historical data on Potbelly and its competitors.
Is Potbelly's Graham Number too high?
Potbelly's current Graham Number is $3.91. The Restaurants industry median Graham Number is 1.60. Potbelly's value of $3.91 is 144.4% above this industry median. Overall, Potbelly has a GF Score™ of 9/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Potbelly's Graham Number compare to BRCB and NATH?
Potbelly's Graham Number of $3.91 can be compared against companies in the Restaurants industry. The industry median Graham Number is 1.60. Potbelly's value of $3.91 is 144.4% above this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Graham Number for a Restaurants company?
The median Graham Number among Restaurants companies is 1.60, based on 205 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Graham Number significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Graham Number should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Potbelly's current Graham Number of $3.91 is 144.4% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Graham Number mean?
A high Graham Number can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Graham Number values a company based on its per-share earnings and book value. View historical data on Potbelly and its competitors. For the Restaurants industry, the median Graham Number is 1.60 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Potbelly's current Graham Number is $3.91. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Potbelly stock overvalued right now?
Potbelly (PBPB) has a current Graham Number of $3.91. The current Graham Number is $3.91 and 144.4% above the Restaurants industry median of 1.60. Potbelly's overall GF Score™ is 9/100. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Graham Number calculated?
Graham Number is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Potbelly (PBPB), the current Graham Number is $3.91 as of Jun. 2025. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Potbelly Corp owns and franchises hundreds of limited-service restaurants specializing in sandwiches and salads, shakes. The menu includes toasty sandwiches, signature salads, soups, chili, sides, desserts, and, in breakfast locations it serves breakfast sandwiches and steel-cut oatmeal. majority of its locations are company-owned and located in the United States, with Illinois and Texas housing far more locations than any other state. The company has franchise partners in a number of countries. Excluding the United States, its franchises are in the Middle East.
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