Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at DA Davidson

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) was downgraded by equities researchers at DA Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Utz Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $14.25 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Utz Brands in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. Stephens set a $14.25 price objective on Utz Brands in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $14.25 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Utz Brands presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.39.

Utz Brands Stock Up 0.2%

UTZ opened at $14.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of -140.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82. Utz Brands has a twelve month low of $6.78 and a twelve month high of $14.53. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $7.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $361.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. Utz Brands’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Utz Brands will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Utz Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Utz Brands by 431.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 2,714 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Utz Brands by 76.1% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 118.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 363.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 4,773 shares during the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Utz Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz announced a take-private agreement with Intersnack at $14.25 per share, which lifted the stock sharply as investors priced in the acquisition premium. Utz Will Go Private in $2.9B Deal With Intersnack
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed a neutral rating but raised its price target to $14.25 from $10.00, effectively aligning its target with the deal price and reinforcing the transaction’s valuation. Piper Sandler rating update
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms announced investigations into whether the buyout price and process were fair to shareholders, which may add headline noise but does not change the announced terms. Kaskela Law Alert
• Neutral Sentiment: Other reports focused on the deal and cited UTZ’s move to go private, keeping attention on the acquisition rather than operations or earnings. Baltimore favorite Utz plans to go private in deal valued at nearly $3B
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson, Barclays, and Stephens all downgraded the stock or moved to a more cautious stance, suggesting less upside beyond the deal price and reflecting uncertainty around the transaction. Barclays Downgrades Utz Brands

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.