Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.771-0.795 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.880. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UTZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Utz Brands from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. DA Davidson set a $15.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Utz Brands from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays set a $12.00 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho set a $16.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.13.

Utz Brands Trading Down 19.1%

Shares of UTZ opened at $9.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 128.57, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.92. Utz Brands has a twelve month low of $8.95 and a twelve month high of $14.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.42.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26. The firm had revenue of $342.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $346.99 million. Utz Brands had a net margin of 0.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Utz Brands will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Utz Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.063 dividend. This is an increase from Utz Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 357.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Utz Brands news, major shareholder Series R. Of Um Partners, Llc bought 12,420 shares of Utz Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.60 per share, with a total value of $119,232.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 628,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,034,502.40. This represents a 2.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dylan Lissette bought 7,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.99 per share, with a total value of $70,029.90. Following the acquisition, the director owned 160,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,605,333.06. This represents a 4.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 29,020 shares of company stock worth $283,851. Corporate insiders own 16.32% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Utz Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Utz Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS matched consensus at $0.26, up from $0.22 a year ago — a sign that per‑share profitability held up versus prior year. Utz Brands (UTZ) Q4 Earnings Match Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Branded Salty Snacks organic net sales rose 2.5% and adjusted gross profit margin improved (gross-profit margin +50 bps), indicating some underlying product and margin strength in core categories. Utz Brands Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasized strategic expansion and innovation initiatives on the earnings call, which could support longer‑term growth but won’t offset near‑term top‑line pressure. Utz Brands Inc (UTZ) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strategic Expansion and Innovation …
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was $342.2M (up 0.4% YoY) but missed analyst expectations (~$347M), signaling weaker-than-expected demand/retail restocking dynamics. UTZ quarterly results (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was lowered to $0.771–$0.795 vs. the Street at ~$0.88 — the guidance miss is the primary driver of the selloff as it reduces near‑term earnings visibility. Utz Brands Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Media headlines highlighted a swing to a 4Q loss and the full‑year outlook miss, amplifying negative sentiment and prompting investors to reprice the stock. UTZ Brands Slides on Swing to 4Q Loss, Full-Year Outlook Miss

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Utz Brands by 39.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 248,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,504,000 after purchasing an additional 70,739 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Utz Brands by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 39,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $556,000 after buying an additional 2,190 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,022,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,480,000 after acquiring an additional 585,952 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Utz Brands by 36.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 196,013 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,760,000 after acquiring an additional 52,285 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Utz Brands by 10.0% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 77,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $974,000 after acquiring an additional 7,073 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

Utz Brands Company Profile

Utz Brands, Inc is a leading U.S. manufacturer and distributor of salty snack foods, offering a wide range of products including potato chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, popcorn and tortilla chips. Headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the company markets its snacks under several well-known brands and serves grocery, mass merchandise, club, convenience and online retailers throughout the United States.

Founded in 1921 by Bill and Salie Utz as a small country store operation, the business expanded gradually through direct delivery to local customers and sales to regional grocers.