Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Cut to Hold at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $15.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Thursday, April 9th. 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 objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised Utz Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.39.

Utz Brands Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of UTZ stock opened at $14.10 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -140.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.82. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $7.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.47. Utz Brands has a twelve month low of $6.78 and a twelve month high of $14.44.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 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 business had revenue of $361.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.16 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts forecast that Utz Brands will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Utz Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors 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 currently -250.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTZ. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 613,699 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 886,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,199,000 after buying an additional 160,720 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Utz Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,336,000. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Utz Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $2,984,000. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Utz Brands by 78.7% during the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 585,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,081,000 after buying an additional 258,003 shares during the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Utz Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $14.25, implying the stock is trading near the proposed buyout value and suggesting limited additional downside from current levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: Utz announced it will go private in a $2.9 billion transaction with Intersnack Group, giving the buyer a major U.S. snacking foothold and effectively setting a deal price ceiling for the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms are investigating the merger, with Brodsky & Smith, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, and Kaskela Law all questioning whether the $14.25 offer undervalues Utz Brands shareholders. Article: Brodsky & Smith Shareholder Update
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler downgraded Utz Brands from strong-buy to hold, while DA Davidson cut its rating from buy to hold and Barclays and Stephens both downgraded the stock to equal weight, reflecting more cautious views after the deal announcement.

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.