Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.2727.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Utz Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $14.25 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. Stephens set a $14.25 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Tuesday. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th.

Utz Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UTZ opened at $14.06 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.40. Utz Brands has a 1-year low of $6.78 and a 1-year high of $14.67. The firm has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -140.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.01. Utz Brands had a positive return on equity of 8.61% and a negative net margin of 0.58%.The firm had revenue of $361.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Utz Brands will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Utz Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.063 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Utz Brands’s payout ratio is -250.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Utz Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz Brands agreed to be acquired by Intersnack Group for $14.25 per share in cash, sending the stock sharply higher on the takeover premium. Utz Brands to be taken private by Germany’s Intersnack Group
• Positive Sentiment: The deal price implies a roughly 91% premium, which is driving heavy trading and optimism that shareholders will receive a sizable cash payout if the transaction closes. Utz Brands to Be Taken Private in $2.9 Billion Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Several market reports highlighted that packaged-food peers also benefited from the buyout news, reinforcing the view that the transaction confirms strategic value in the snack category. Packaged food stocks perk up after Utz Brands buyout
• Neutral Sentiment: Law firms have launched investigations into whether the sale process and price were fair to public shareholders, which is common in take-private deals but could create headline risk. Shareholder Alert: The M&A Class Action Firm Announces An Investigation of Utz Brands, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades from Barclays and Stephens to “equal weight” suggest limited upside from here given the deal price is near the expected value. Utz Brands was downgraded by Barclays PLC

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Utz Brands by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,679,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,718,000 after acquiring an additional 252,876 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Utz Brands by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,085,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,370,000 after acquiring an additional 413,493 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Utz Brands by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 4,063,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,183,000 after acquiring an additional 613,699 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 42.3% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,946,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,979,000 after purchasing an additional 875,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 105.2% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 2,414,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,066,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238,180 shares in the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Utz Brands

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.