Copeland Capital Management LLC Increases Position in Utz Brands, Inc. $UTZ

Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) by 10.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,131,099 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 304,163 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.21% of Utz Brands worth $38,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 85,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 8,476 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Utz Brands by 47.1% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 25,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 8,209 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Utz Brands by 7.6% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 94,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 6,730 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Utz Brands by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,034,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,560,000 after buying an additional 50,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Utz Brands in the 1st quarter valued at about $319,000. 95.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Utz Brands Stock Performance

Shares of UTZ stock opened at $10.43 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 148.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.11. Utz Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.19 and a 52 week high of $15.79.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23. Utz Brands had a net margin of 0.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The firm had revenue of $377.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $374.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Utz Brands has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.824-0.847 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Utz Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.063 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is an increase from Utz Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 357.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UTZ shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Utz Brands from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Utz Brands from $13.50 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Mizuho set a $16.00 target price on Utz Brands in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Utz Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.93.

Insider Activity at Utz Brands

In related news, Director Dylan Lissette purchased 7,010 shares of Utz Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.99 per share, with a total value of $70,029.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 160,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,605,333.06. The trade was a 4.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Series R. Of Um Partners, Llc acquired 12,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $9.60 per share, with a total value of $119,232.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 628,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,034,502.40. This represents a 2.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 92,313 shares of company stock worth $947,055. 16.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Utz Brands 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.